14 AUG 18 Koblenz (Marksburg)

We woke at 7:30 am and went to breakfast in the ship’s Restaurant at 8:05. The forecast was for 57-78° F and mostly cloudy. This was going to be a day of many CASTLES.

From 9:45 am to 12:15 pm, we went on the (included) shore excursion to Marksburg Castle.

Tuesday, 14 Aug 2018, 9:41 AM – Near Koblenz: Viking Skadi at dock; across the river is Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, with funicular (overhead tramway) leading up to it.

MT 9:35 AM – Near Koblenz: Don by Viking Skadi at dock; across the river is Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, with funicular (overhead tramway) leading up to it.

Some passengers took the optional shore excursion (9:00 am-12:15 pm) to the Festung Ehrenbreitstein. We did not really get to see Koblenz, since the optional shore excursion Koblenz Walking Tour was also at the same time as the Marksburg tour.

Festung Ehrenbreitstein (Ehrenbreitstein Fortress) is a fortress high on a hill on the east bank of the Rhine where it is joined by the Mosel, overlooking the town of Koblenz. It occupies the position of an earlier fortress destroyed by the French in 1801. After the Rhineland became a Prussian province in 1815, the current fortress was built in 1817-28 by the Prussians, as the backbone of the regional fortification system, Festung Koblenz, guarding the Middle Rhine, which had been repeatedly invaded by French troops. The Prussian fortress was never attacked.

Koblenz: Festung Ehrenbreitstein - aerial view (en.wikipedia.org. By Fritz Geller-Grimm - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3349670).

Koblenz (pop. 113,605) is situated on both banks of the Rhine where it is joined by the Mosel at the Deutsches Eck (German Corner). The name of the town comes from the Latin confluentes, meaning “(at the) confluence” of two rivers. It was the Romans who first recognized  the strategic advantage of this site, establishing a settlement they named “castrum ad confluentes” (fortified camp at the confluence) here in 9 BC (or14 AD in some sources). From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, Koblenz was the seat of the powerful Archbishop of Trier.

First, we were taken by bus to the town of Braubach.

9:55 AM – Koblenz: building (church?) with towers and arcades down street from bus stop.

10:07 AM – Near Koblenz: view from bus of Rhine (back toward Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, on hill).

On the way to Marksburg Castle, we passed Burg Lahneck.

10:11 AM – Near Koblenz: view from bus on highway on the way to Braubach of Burg Lahneck; highway sign for Rüdesheim, straight ahead (telephoto 119 mm).

10:11 AM – Near Koblenz: view from bus on highway on the way to Braubach of Burg Lahneck (telephoto 119 mm, black circle is the fasten-seatbelts sign in the bus windshield).

MT 10:08 AM – Near Koblenz: view from bus on highway on the way to Braubach of Burg Lahneck (mild telephoto 53 mm).

Burg Lahneck (Lahneck Castle) is situated above the town of Lahnstein, south of Koblenz. (The name means “Corner of the Lahn.”) It stands on a steep rock salient above the confluence of the Lahn River with the Rhine, opposite the Stolzenfels Castle. It was built starting in 1233, to protect the mouth of the Lahn. In 1774, during his travels along the Lahn River, Goethe was inspired by the sight of Burg Lahneck to write the poem “Geistesgruß.” In 1850, it was sold to private owners and rebuilt in the English Neo-Gothic style starting in 1852. It has a Gothic chapel.

Burg Lahneck (By Holger Weinandt - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10418857).

10:12 AM – Near Koblenz: view from bus on highway on the way to Braubach of Burg Lahneck (telephoto 119 mm).

Then we passed Stolzenfels Castle on the other side of the highway. We would have better views of this castle later.

10:12 AM – Near Koblenz: view from bus on highway on the way to Braubach of Schloss Stolzenfels (telephoto 119 mm).

Schloss Stolzenfels (Stolzenfels Castle, meaning proud rock) is a former medieval fortress castle (Burg) from 1259 turned into a palace, near Koblenz on the left (west) bank of the Rhine. The Archbishop of Trier, whose seat was in Koblenz, originally had it built as a border fortress. It subsequently served as a toll castle until 1412. However, the existing castle has little in common with the original 13th-century fortress, which the French burned down in 1689. The ruined castle was gifted to the Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm in 1823. He had it rebuilt as a Neo-Gothic (Gothic Revival) castle, the most outstanding work of the Rheinromantik (Rhine Romanticism). The new castle was built in 1835-45. The main buildings and gardens were finished by 1842, and it was inaugurated as the summer residence of Friedrich Wilhelm IV, who had become king in 1840. The rest was finished by 1947. It includes a gatehouse, a residence tower, a palace with vaulted Rittersaal (knights’ hall, although this term for the large hall of a castle only came into use with 19th-century Romanticism), a pergola garden, a Bergfried (free-standing fighting tower, similar to a keep but not designed for permanent habitation), and the Classical-Neo-Romanesque parish church St. Menas from 1840 (other sources refer to a Gothic chapel inaugurated in 1845).

Near Koblenz: Schloss Stolzenfels (By Holger Weinandt - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40032919). The chapel projecting from the near side of the wall appears to be Gothic.

Soon we began to see the Marksburg Castle on a hill in the distance.

10:14 AM – Near Koblenz: view from bus on highway on the way to Braubach of Marksburg (telephoto 156 mm, Cropped).

Then the bus went through the town of  Braubach.

10:17 AM – Braubach: view from bus of Obertor (upper, east tower) and old town gate (mild telephoto 93 mm).

Braubach (pop. 3,934) is a municipality on the right (east) bank of the Rhine, approximately 10 km southeast of Koblenz. Already in Celtic and Roman times, there was a settlement on this site. The first documentary mention of the place was in 886. The Edelfreien von Braubach (Noble Freemen of Braubach), mentioned in documents from 1117-71, bequeathed their possessions to the Counts of Eppstein, who owned Braubach in 1219. In 1283, the town fell to the Counts of Katzenelnbogen. In 1479, after the extinction of the Katzenelnbogen, the town and the Marksburg fell to the Landgraviate of Hessen, then to the Duchy of Nassau in 1803.

It has assorted medieval architecture intact, including portions of the town wall, half-timbered buildings, and Marksburg Castle on the hill above town.

Braubach: engraving, around 1630 showing Braubach on the Rhine with Marksburg above it; also other towns and castles along the Rhine in the background (By Meisner - Aus Meisner - Kieser Politisches Schatzkästlein, Braubach am Rhein., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8022202).

10:20 AM – Near Marksburg: view from bus of narrow road (for 2-way traffic) leading up to Marksburg.

10:28 AM – Near Marksburg: view of castle from bus parking area below.

MT 10:24 AM – Near Marksburg: view of castle from bus parking area below (mild telephoto 52 mm).

10:31 AM – Near Marksburg: view of Rhine from footpath bus parking area up to castle.

Early 12th-century records mention a fortified house of the Edelfreien von Braubach (Noble Freemen of Braubach) at the foot of the hill. The Counts of Eppstein built the Romanesque Marksburg castle complex, which was first mentioned in 1231, atop the hill. After 1283, the Counts of Katzenelnbogen (Cat’s Elbow) built the Gothic part of Marksburg Castle, giving it its striking form. The Marksburg is the only hilltop castle along the Rhine that has never been destroyed. Its value and significance can be found in its complete preservation as a medieval fortress. The impressive stronghold, with most buildings dating back to the 13th-15th centuries, consists of rings of walls containing keep, residential buildings, baileys, and bastions. Its typical interior rooms (such as castle kitchen, great hall, bedchamber, chapel, armory, wine cellar, and battlements) give a unique glimpse into life in the Middle Ages.

Along the riverbanks and hilltops in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, there is a castle to be found every 2.5 km, on the average, with over 40 of them still more or less intact. The vast majority of them, however, are relatively recent constructions or reconstructions of the 19th and 20th centuries. Most medieval castles had become ruins due to destruction and abandonment and had fallen into disrepair. During the age of Romanticism in the 19th century, many ruins were then rebuilt and remodeled (e.g., Rheinstein, Reichenstein, Stahleck, Sooneck, Katz and Maus, and Lahneck). Stolzenfels Castle, just across the river from Marksburg, too, is a significant Romantic creation and not a proper castle anymore.

MT 10:28 AM – Marksburg: view of Bergfried (keep) above battlements near entrance (mild telephoto 56 mm).

10:31 AM – Marksburg: view of battlements near entrance from footpath bus parking area up to castle.

Entering the Marksburg, four gates have to be passed.

The first one is a large, outer Zugbrückentor (Drawbridge Gate) from 1490. Inside it, just to the right is an antique bookshop that 500 years ago was the room of the castle’s gate keeper. This is followed by a vaulted tunnel-like passageway that was attached to the medieval Torgebäude (gatehouse) in order to erect a shooting platform on its upper side.

11:59 AM – Marksburg: Fuchstor gate.

The guided tour starts at the Fuchstor (Fox Gate), which is the second medieval gateway. Here the tour guide lets visitors in with a large key. Behind the gate is a puzzlingly thick stone ball, the weight of which is so great that it could not have been launched from a catapult. Rather, it was part of a siege machine with which walls were broken.

10:38 AM – Marksburg: MT and other members of 13B group just inside entrance and before the Schartentor gate in the Burgvogtsturm.

MT 10:36 AM – Marksburg: Schartentor gate in the Burgvogtsturm.

Above the doorway of the third gate, the Schartentor (Arrow Slit Gate) from 1350, there is a machicolation, a little oriel (projecting balcony) from which defenders would drop stones or hot liquids onto the heads of attackers who had advanced this far. This gateway in the Burgvogtsturm (Castle Steward’s Tower) was reduced in size in 1669 (the bricked-up area of the larger gate is visible above the smaller one.

10:41 AM – Marksburg: MT and other members of 13B group going up rough “steps” past coats of arms of previous owners near entrance.

The coats of arms, from right to left, are for the following owners, in chronological order:

Lords of Eppstein coat of arms (By Christer Sundin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7101238).

The Lords of Eppstein  (Herren von Eppstein) built the Romanesque castle complex, which was first mentioned in 1231. This castle, in the triangular form characteristic of the time of the Hohenstaufens, consisted of the tower (not yet as high as later) on the highest point of the cliffs, a residential building, and a ring wall. The Eppsteins were among the most powerful families of the High Middle Ages.

Katzenelnbogen coat of arms (Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=598370).

In 1283, the castle was bought by Eberhard II, Count of Katzenelnbogen. These counts belonged to one of the wealthiest lineages in the Rhineland. They built the Gothic part of Marksburg Castle, giving it its striking form.

Landgraves of Hesse coat of arms (By TRAJAN 117This W3C-unspecified vector image was created with Inkscape. - Own work, based upon [1]This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from this:  Flagge Großherzogtum Hessen mit Wappen.svg (by Sir Iain)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27391332).

When the last Count of Katzenelnbogen died in 1479, the castle passed to the Landgraves of Hesse (Landgrafen von Hessen), through the marriage of the Katzenelnbogen heiress to Count Heinrich III of Hesse. They turned the castle into an early modern fortress with added artillery batteries and ramparts.

Nassau coat of arms (By SodacanThis W3C-unspecified vector image was created with Inkscape. - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28461839).

When the Holy Roman Empire broke up in 1803, the castle passed into the hands of the newly created Duchy of Nassau. During this period, since the castle was no longer useful for modern warfare, it was only used as a home for invalids and as a state prison.

Prussian coat of arms (By Glasshouse - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52141013).

As a result of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Nassau as well as Marksburg Castle was taken over by Prussia (Preußen). Now it was used as living quarters for soldiers, but it was in danger of falling into disrepair due to governmental neglect.

10:44 AM (Cropped) – Deutsche Burgenvereinigung logo.

In 1900, with the help of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung (German Castles Association) was able to purchase the Marksburg for a small, symbolic price. The association carried out extensive restoration work.

10:43 AM – Marksburg: coats of arms of previous owners near entrance (all except the current owners, the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung,which was to the left).

11:37 AM Cropped) – Marksburg: coats of arms of previous owners near entrance (all except the current owners, the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung, which was to the left).

10:44 AM – Marksburg: coats of arms of last two owners (Deutsche Burgenvereinigung  and Prussia) near entrance.

10:41 AM – Marksburg: steps and horse ramp of Reitertreppe.

Next comes the Reitertreppe (riders’ staircase), carved out of bedrock. In the Middle Ages and later, there were no actual steps in the outer parts of the castle, and the residents had to climb to the core of the castle over the natural cliff, which was worn smooth; there was no other way of entering. Mounted persons could ride up into the castle. Steps were first carved into the cliff in the 17th century, when there were no longer horses in the castle. Along the steps are the coats of arms of the various owners of the Marksburg, starting with the Counts of Eppstein and ending with the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung (German Castles Association). After climbing these steps, the walk through the castle begins.

The Romanischer Palas (Romanesque Palace)* is the oldest building of the castle. It dates back to 1239 and underwent various changes in later years. This stately building served several purposes: conferences, jurisdiction, administration, celebrations, and living quarters. Today it houses the offices of the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung, The Palas belongs to the areas of the castle that are not part of the guided tour. Those parts were altered from the inside after the Middle Ages, when soldiers inhabited the castle for centuries.

*A Palas (from the Late Latin palatium = imperial court, via the Old French pales or palais) is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period 11th-13th centuries) and were peculiar to German castles.

10:41 AM – Marksburg: Small Battery with smaller cannons.

The Kleine Batterie (Small Battery) in front of the Palas was added in 1711 in order to protect the eastern exit of the city and the valley with the road to Wiesbaden. Today it includes a replica of one of the oldest firearms of that type in Germany, an early breechloading cannon from 1450.

The guide then led us around the Upper Bailey (passage on the outer wall of the castle) of the Palas.

10:45 AM – Marksburg: guide showing us the Iron Door; she said the stone walls were plastered over to preserve them.

The Eiserne Pforte (Iron Door) was the innermost gate of the castle, leading to its core.

10:47 AM – Marksburg: Great Battery – guide showing us a large cannon.

The large cannons of the Große Batterie (Great Battery) are aimed at the Rhine River. The older part of this military construction was erected in 1589 and the latter part in 1711. The cannons are from the Napoleonic time. According to weight of the cannonballs, we differentiate between front-loading 6-pounder and 12-pounder cannons. With a range of approximately 1000 m, the soldiers were able to secure the Rhine valley in its entire width. In peacetime, they were also used to fire salutes if high-ranking persons went by on the Rhine.

10:47 AM – Marksburg: Great Battery – members of our group with large cannons.

10:48 AM – Marksburg: Great Battery – members of our group with large cannons.

10:48 AM – Marksburg: Great Battery – our guide with large cannons.

MT 10:44 AM – Marksburg: view from Great Battery of the Rhine below.

10:49 AM – Marksburg: Great Battery – view of Rhine.

Continuing around the Upper Bailey, we came to the herb garden.

10:50 AM – Marksburg: herb garden – part labeled “Hexen und Zauberpflanzen – Pflanzen des Aberglaubens” (Witch and Magic Plants – Plants of Superstition) by sign on wall with a pentagram.

The Kräutergarten (herb garden) along the Upper Bailey boasts a unique herbal garden consisting of two patches of about 150 plants known to Europe in the Middle Ages. Most of them are important medicinal plants and spices, but some (such as the mandrake of the Devil’s snare) were said to be used by witches, while others (such as the deadly nightshade and the hemlock) are very poisonous. Many of these names are found in fairy tales, sagas, or old recipe books, but who has seen these plants in nature?

MT 10:46 AM – Marksburg: herb garden – sign on wall for “Hexen und Zauberpflanzen – Pflanzen des Aberglaubens” (Witch and Magic Plants – Plants of Superstition) with a pentagram (mild telephoto 57 mm).

10:51 AM – Marksburg: herb garden – part labeled “Nutz- und Küchenpflanzen aus dem ‘Capitulare de villis’ Karls des Großen (Verordnung über die Krongüter und Reichshöfe, um 800)” (Useful and Kitchen Plants – Plants of Superstition from the ‘Capitulare de villis’ of Charlemagne [Regulation over the Crown Properties and Imperial Courts, around 800]) by sign on wall with symbol of the “cross signature” KAROLVS that Charlemagne used for signing documents.

Charlemagne’s signature (By Charlemagne - Karldergrossesignatur.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16681956).

MT 10:47 AM – Marksburg: herb garden – gourds in part labeled “Nutz- und Küchenpflanzen” (mild telephoto 72 mm).

MT 10:48 AM – Marksburg: herb garden – another plant in part labeled “Nutz- und Küchenpflanzen” (mild telephoto 72 mm).

10:52 AM – Marksburg: parapet with view of Rhine.

10:53 AM – Marksburg: view from herb garden up to toilet oriel (left) and another oriel above Upper Bailey on east side of castle.

After a view of the Rhine Valley 90 m below, from the Upper Bailey on the east side of the castle, one should look up on the outer wall of the Gothic Saalbau (hall building), where there hangs an Aborterker (toilet oriel), a medieval toilet. (Don had heard this type of castle facility called a Lufttoilette [air toilet].) The Saalbau was erected in 1435 by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen as a showy second Palas.

10:53 AM – Marksburg: view from herb garden up to toilet oriel (left) and another oriel above Upper Bailey on east side of castle (mild telephoto 93 mm).

10:57 AM – Marksburg: barrels in wine cellar.

After climbing a wooden staircase into the center of the castle, the tour comes to the courtyard with the impressive central tower

Next comes the Weinkeller (Wine Cellar) with its 17th-century vaulted interior, in the Gothic Saalbau. In the Middle Ages, people consumed around 2-3 liters of wine per person per day. For wine was, along with beer, an important item, since the unpurified water was mistrusted for fear of disease. Therefore, the wine cellar stored many more full barrels that the empty ones displayed today.

MT 10:55 AM – Marksburg: wine press in wine cellar, with date “Anno 1767” on beam across top.

MT 10:56 AM – Marksburg: kitchen – guide with pots and hanging meat by fireplace.

The Burgküche (Castle Kitchen), up some steps from the cellar, is situated on the ground floor of the Gothic hall building from 1435. The large fireplace and the utensils and dishes document how meals were prepared for the castle’s residents. The kitchen was not only a place for cooking but also usually a place for the servants to eat while the noble family dined in their own hall upstairs.

MT 10:58 AM – Marksburg: kitchen – things hanging on wall.

MT 10:59 AM – Marksburg: kitchen – triangular chair and cast iron pot.

11:01 AM – Marksburg: kitchen – guide with ice box.

11:03 AM – Marksburg: bedchamber – guide with canopied four-poster bed.

The first room on the next floor is the noble family’s Kemenate (bedchamber), furnished with wood paneling, a canopied four-poster bed, a cradle, and an area in the window niche for sitting and reading. It was one of the few rooms in the castle to be heated by a stove. The name Kemenate comes from the Kamin (fireplace) that heated it. This room probably served as an intimate living room for the entire family of the lord of the house.

11:05 AM – Marksburg: bedchamber – guide with canopied four-poster bed (vertical).

MT 11:03 AM – Marksburg: bedchamber – canopied four-poster bed; our guide said people used to sleep half-sitting to improved circulation or to avoid being mistaken for dead.

11:04 AM – Marksburg: bedchamber – MT taking photo of canopied four-poster bed; more of room in background.

MT 11:06 AM – Marksburg: bedchamber – tapestry hanging on wall next to canopied four-poster bed.

MT 11:06 AM – Marksburg: Rittersaal – guide with dining room table.

The adjoining room is the impressive Rittersaal (Great Hall [literally Knight’s Hall]), the very heart of courtly life. It served as a combined living room, dining room, and study. The family ate at a long table, which was removed at the end of the meal. Leisure time was spend playing chess or making music while rare entertainment was provided by traveling singers who would also spread news and gossip. A small passage through the outer wall leads up to the medieval toilet, a privy hanging high over the Upper Bailey. The outer wall even here is over 3 m thick.

11:07 AM – Marksburg: Rittersaal – tapestries and musical instruments in niche by window.

11:08 AM – Marksburg: Rittersaal – doorway next to dining room table leading to a small room (mild telephoto 49 mm). Don didn’t understand what the guide said about this, thinking it was perhaps a secret exit; however it is more likely the toilet oriel.

11:10 AM – Marksburg: Chapel with paintings on vaulted ceiling.

The next room is the 14th-century Kapelle (Chapel) with its beautifully painted walls and ceilings. It is part of the chapel tower from 1372, the second mighty tower of the castle. The small chapel would only have been used by the castle’s residents for daily prayers and services. In peacetime, there would have been hardly more than 10 persons inhabiting the castle, besides which only the lord of the castle and his family would have celebrated Mass in the chapel, and not the servants. With its beautiful 10-part Late-Gothic groined (ribbed) vaulting, it is the most extravagantly decorated room of the castle. In one of the niches is a statue that is a copy of a Late-Gothic Rhenish Virgin Mary from 1445.

11:11 AM – Marksburg: Chapel – ribbed, vaulted ceiling with Katzenelnbogen coat of arms in center, surrounded by paintings (horizontal).

MT 11:11 AM – Marksburg: Chapel – ribbed, vaulted ceiling with Katzenelnbogen coat of arms in center, surrounded by paintings (vertical).

11:11 AM – Marksburg: Chapel - fresco paintings on walls and vaulted ceiling.

MT 11:11 AM – Marksburg: Chapel - Madonna.

11:11 AM – Marksburg: Chapel – sign for Madonna; text in German (except for the “Please do not touch” warning at the top, which translates:

“Please no not touch [in German and English]

“Madonna (Replica)

“from the original mold of the plaster studio of the State Museum Berlin Prussian Cultural Property

Middle Rhine[ish], around 1440

Original formerly Berlin, Deutsches Museum [German Museum], inv.[entory number] 8039

“1945 lost in war.”

11:12 AM – Marksburg: Chapel – fresco of Resurrection.

A narrow staircase built into the wall leads upward from the chapel, past the castle chaplain’s study, to the former Wehrgang (Battlement) on the next floor, which once connected the Chapel Tower and the Romanesque Palas. Its former Schießscharten (firing slots) were later widened into windows when a half-timbered Rheinbau (Rhine Wing) was built onto the inner courtyard in 1706, making it the most modern building in the castle’s core. It now houses a display of tools of a weaver’s workshop with a loom, as well as household items from pre-industrial times.

11:15 AM – Marksburg: Weapons Room - breastplates.

The next stop in the Rheinbau is former rooms of the castle commandant. In the tabletop display cabinet of the first room, now the Waffenstube (Weapons Room), are objects that were found during the restoration of the roof between the stable and the coat of arms hall in the Romanesque Palas. These include coins, glass pieces, crossbow arrowheads, and a die (singular of dice) made of bone. Various armor and weapons are displayed on the walls. On the back of the display case is a long line of halberds, weapons of mercenaries mainly from the 15th-17th centuries.

11:15 AM – Marksburg: Weapons Room – maces and spears.

MT  11:11 AM – Marksburg: Weapons Room - halberds.

11:15 AM – Marksburg: Weapons Room – sword, helmet, and mace.

11:16 AM – Marksburg: Armory – more recent armor, up to 19th (?) century.

The second room, also in the Rheinbau, is the Rüstkammer (Armory). which contains the “Gimbel Collection,” a display of 14 life-size mannequins from 1880 that demonstrates the changes made to armor and weaponry from ancient to early modern times. The armor on display consists of extremely detailed replicas as well as original pieces. The “timeline” between the figures symbolizes the time interval between the warriors—the longer the rope, the greater the time interval.

Karl Gimbel, a retired lieutenant of the Royal Army of Württemberg, was a collector of arms who designed the figures in 1880 in Baden-Baden. In 1902, he published an album of photographs of European arms and armor which he had reconstructed from various textual and pictorial sources as well as original objects in museums and private collections. In 1905, in preparation for a visit by Kaiser Wilhelm II, the collection was purchased for the Marksburg, to give it a “knightly” atmosphere. Later, the collection was displayed in the Rheinbau to exemplify the development of armor throughout 2000 years of history. The display is still known as known as the Gimbel Collection.

MT 11:16 AM – Marksburg: Armory – oldest armor, before Celtic and Roman.

11:16 AM – Marksburg: Armory – Celtic, Roman, and other older armor (”timeline” on floor showing large intervals).

MT 11:12 AM – Marksburg: Armory – Celtic armor.

11:17 AM – Marksburg: Armory – more recent armor with face masks.

11:20 AM – Marksburg: Armory – ornate armor with face masks (“timeline” on floor).

MT 11:16 AM – Marksburg: Armory – pointed armor shoes (“timeline” on floor).

11:23 AM – Marksburg: view up lower portion of Bergfried (from this angle, the smaller butter-churn tower section at the top is not visible).

In the middle of the courtyard, at the highest point of the castle’s cliff, is the narrow Bergfried (Keep*), which is nearly 40 m tall. The square lower part was built in 1239 by the Lords of Eppstein. The top part, with its round top, was added sometime before 1468 by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen, who had become familiar with these butter-churn towers** in their travels in France and Italy. This burned down in 1705 and was replaced in 1905. In the lowest part of the tower was the castle’s dungeon. Due to the extremely narrow, steep, and uneven stairway in its center, it is not accessible to visitors.

*A Bergfried is a tall, free-standing, fighting tower typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under German influence. Its defensive function is to some extent similar to that of a keep (also known as donjon) in English or French castles. However, the characteristic difference between a Bergfried and a keep is that a Bergfried was typically not designed for permanent habitation. A Bergfried had three functions: watchtower, status symbol, and (although seldom) a place of retreat in case the castle was captured. The living quarters of a castle with a Bergfried were separate, often in a lower tower or an adjacent building called a Palas. Consequently, a Bergfried could be built as a tall, slender tower with little internal room and few, if any windows.

**A butter-churn tower (German Butterfassturm, literally butter barrel tower) is a two-part defensive tower in which the upper section has a smaller diameter than the lower section. This design provides a ledge or fighting platform about halfway up that acts as a chemin de ronde (protected walkway behind a castle battlement) while the narrower tower that rises from this platform acts as a raised observation point. The two sections of the tower are usually cylindrical, but in rarer cases they may have a square plan. The name derives from its shape, which is similar to that of an upright butter churn: a cylindrical container with a shorter, narrower top section.

This design appeared in the 14th century, being especially employed for the Bergfried of castles in Europe (but also for wall towers or watch towers on city walls). Its fighting and defensive value was not much greater than ordinary defensive towers, but it offered better observation over a greater distance. However, the main reason for building them may have been more symbolic than strategic.

In the late Middle Ages, a large number of butter-churn towers were erected in the Middle Rhine-South-Hesse-Taunus region. Among them the Marksburg is noteworthy for having a round butter-churn tower atop a square lower tower. One of the tallest towers is the 56-meter-high Round Tower, the symbol of the town of Andernach, which dates from 1453 and has an unusual variation: an octagonal upper turret with a s tone gable roof. The highest Bergfried of a hill castle with a butter-churn top (1370) was that of the Rheinfels Castle above Sankt Goar on the Rhine, which was 54 m high at the intermediate platform but was destroyed in 1797.

Marksburg: Bergfried with butter-churn tower (By Островский Александр, Киев - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11765828); the flag is for the logo of the German Castles Association.

11:24 AM – Marksburg: Torture Chamber – stretching machine below engraving of medieval torture.

The oldest part of the castle is the basement of the Romanesque Palas, is the former Pferdestall (horse stable) of the Middle Ages; horses or mules were kept here, which were indispensable as beasts of burden for such a steep castle. The room, with thick beams on its ceiling, is from 1239, at the time of the castle’s first construction. It is now used as the “Folterkammer” (Torture Chamber), a display space for a small exhibition of instruments of torture and punishment from the Middle Ages and early modern times. The Marksburg possibly had such a room, since it was the seat of the nobility, who would also have sat in judgment.

MT 11:21 AM – Marksburg: Torture Chamber – stocks.

11:33 AM – Marksburg: Blacksmith’s Workshop – anvil, bellows by forge, and tools.

The Burgschmiede (Castle Blacksmith’s Workshop) is a small room that served as the repair workshop for the castle. In the Marksburg, this room was partly hewed from the cliffs. It provides a good impression of what a late medieval (15th-century) forge looked like, with an anvil, bellows for the forge, workbench, whetstone, tools, and leather apron. Everything seems to be ready to go to work. In fact, this forge has actually been used in our time.

MT 11:29 AM – Marksburg: Blacksmith’s Workshop – anvil, bellows by forge, and tools.

11:35 AM – Marksburg: Blacksmith’s Workshop – anvil, whetstone, and bellows by forge.

MT 11:29 AM – Marksburg: Blacksmith’s Workshop – wheels, tools, and bellows for forge.

11:37 AM – Marksburg: MT and others of our group going back down passageway with coats of arms of castle’s previous owners.

While most of our tour group stopped in the gift shop on the way out, Don went to the restrooms near the exit. On the way, he discovered a nice view of the castle above.

11:39 AM – Marksburg: view of upper part of castle from near entrance/exit (flag with logo of Deutsche Burgenvereinigung on top of Bergfried’s butter-churn tower).

Then Don joined MT and the rest of our group in the gift shop.

MT 11:36 AM – Marksburg: Marksburg logo in gift shop.

MT 11:37 AM – Marksburg: bird house in gift shop.

11:51 AM – Marksburg: replica of winemaking tapestry from castle bedroom in gift shop.

11:52 AM – Marksburg: replica of tapestry from music niche of castle great room in gift shop.

MT 11:53 AM – Marksburg: Don and suit of armor in gift shop.

11:53 AM – Marksburg: MT and mannequin with chain mail in gift shop.

11:57 AM – Marksburg: view of Rhine from near gift shop.

MT 11:57 AM – Marksburg: MT and view of Rhine from near gift shop.

11:58 AM – Marksburg: view of cruise ship on Rhine from near gift shop (telephoto 119 mm).

11:58 AM – Marksburg: view of cruise ship Rhine from near gift shop (telephoto 218 mm). We thought this might be our ship, Viking Skadi, which was to pick us up again near Braubach; later photos confirmed that it was the Skadi.

Then Don took MT down to see the nice view of the castle from near the entrance/exit.

MT 11:55 AM – Marksburg: view of upper part of castle from near entrance/exit (flag with logo of Deutsche Burgenvereinigung on top of Bergfried’s butter-churn tower).

MT 11:56 AM – Marksburg: sign for “Picknickterrasse” (picnic terrace) near gift shop.

MT 12:03 PM – Marksburg: “Post-Briefkasten” (mailbox) near gift shop.

12:00 PM – Marksburg: view of Rhine from parapet near gift shop with switchback passage to entrance/exit.

MT 11:57 AM – Marksburg: view of cruise ship Viking Skadi Rhine from parapet near gift shop (telephoto 145 mm).

12:02 PM – Marksburg: view of cruise ship Viking Skadi Rhine from parapet near gift shop (telephoto 284 mm).

12:06 PM – Marksburg: part of map of Rhine Valley near gift shop showing Koblenz (with Festung Ehrenbreitstein at upper right, where we departed the ship), Lahnstein (near where we passed Burg Lahneck and Schloss Stolzenfels on the way to Marksburg), Braubach (with Marksburg nearby), and the towns of Boppard and Kamp-Bornhofen which we would pass farther south).

12:26 PM – Marksburg: view, through bus windshield, of narrow road back down from Marksburg.

Then we passed back through the town of Braubach, with several half-timbered houses (many dated from 17th century).

MT 12:25 PM – Braubach: view, through windshield of Mercedes-Benz bus, of half-timbered building and part of old town wall with old town gate and Obertor (upper, east tower).

12:29 PM – Braubach: view, through windshield of Mercedes-Benz bus, of half-timbered buildings (including Hotel Zum Weissen Schwann) and part of old town wall with base of old town gate and Obertor (upper, east tower).

The Hotel Landgasthof Zum Weissen Schwann (Hotel Country Inn of the White Swan) is a 17th-century Weinhaus (wine house) with an attached 14th-century mill. Located on the Marktplatz (Market Square), it is now a restaurant.

Braubach: Hotel Landgasthof Zum Weissen Schwann on Marktplatz (By Lothar Spurzem - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48471824).

12:30 PM – Braubach: view, through windshield of bus, of more half-timbered buildings on Unteralleestraße.

12:32 PM – Braubach: view, through windshield of bus on highway, of part of Braubach (including St. Barbara church tower), with Marksburg on hill in background.

12:34 PM – Braubach: view, through windshield of bus on highway, of part of Braubach (including St. Barbara church tower) and signs for “Stadtmitte” (City Center) and Tourist Information, with Marksburg on hill in background (mild telephoto 56 mm).

12:39 PM – Near Braubach: view, through windshield of bus on highway, of Marksburg on hill (telephoto 119 mm).

MT 12:46 PM – Near Braubach: view, through windshield of bus on highway, of Marksburg on hill (mild telephoto 60 mm).

1:00 PM – Near Braubach: Viking Skadi approaching dock.

According to the Viking Daily schedule, the Skadi was supposed to make brief stop at Braubach at noon to pick up passengers after shore excursion. It was an hour late, but so were we.

MT 1:00 PM – Near Braubach: Viking Skadi approaching dock.

12:59 PM – Near Braubach: Viking Skadi approaching dock (telephoto 156 mm).

We had lunch on the Skadi.

OUR AFTERNOON WOULD BE FILLED WITH EVEN MORE CASTLES, DURING “MIDDLE RHINE SCENIC CRUISING.” THEREFORE, THIS DAY IS SPLIT INTO TWO SEPARATE BLOG POSTS.