Reichsberg Castle

After a 15 minute trek up the hill, we arrived at the Reichsburg Castle. As previously mentioned, the castle was destroyed by the French and rebuilt in 1689 using the original plans from c.1027 construction. The castle has had several owners throughout its history, including the Third Reich, however, today it is owned by the city of Cochem. One can certainly understand how the castle was protected as it is surrounded by the Mosel river on 2 sides and sits atop a huge hill in which one can see for miles.

Let’s join Buddy on a tour of the castle:



As we proceed upstairs, we will notice that the furnishings are from the late 1800s, rather than the medieval period.



First on our tour, is the banquet room. Throughout the castle, there are ornate wood carvings on fireplaces, window frames, doorways, as well as ceilings and ceiling moldings.



Directly off of the dining room is the ladies parlor. This is where the women would retire to talk, do needlework, and stay warm, (note the large fireplace covered in Delft blue tiles). Stain glass was prominently used throughout the castle, as well as ornate decorative ceiling painting.





The hunting room, is the area where the hunting trophies were proudly displayed as well as ale (in large quantities) was drunk. Sorry, the photo is a little dark….



The most magnificent room in the castle is the grand hall which is actually 3 large areas: a couple of dining areas, as well as a desk/work area at the far room. Our tour group numbered approximately 25 people, and this room literally swallowed us up.







We exited the castle through the trophy room. While quite interesting because it had several medieval suits of armor, the room was so small that it was impossible to get a good shot. After a brief view from the balcony (see Monday’s posting), we exited the rear of the castle, stopping briefly by the courtyard and water well.