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GERMANY’S CASTLE ROAD - BURGENSTRASSE
Magnificent Scenery and History across Rivers of Time

Its not an actual single road, but a series of small winding backroads through central Germany from west to east, starting near Mannheim and ending in Prague, the German Burgenstrass “Castle Road” traverses some of the most beautiful landscapes along several rivers. Starting at Mannheim’s Electoral Palace one of the largest Baroque Palace complexes in the world, the route heads to Schwetzingen where the 18th-19th Century palace of the Palatine Electors is called the “Palatine Versailles” and the grand Rococo theater hosts the annual International Schwetzingen Festival.

Neckar River Valley

One of the most beautiful sections of the Castle Road is along the Neckar River. From Heidelberg, with its great famous castle overlooking the old city and the oldest university, the road follows the Neckar River lined with 9 castles and palaces. Neckarsteinach is a small village surrounded by four castles alone. Burg Hirschhorn a knight’s castle from the 12th Century has a hotel and restaurant with a terrace view of the small medieval city below called the “Pearl of the Neckar Valley”. Two more castle hotels with restaurants are located along this section of the road. Schloss Neuberg in Obrigheim and Hornberg Castle (See Burg Hornberg). Gundelsheim is the home of Horneck Castle, a 16th Century palace that was the residence of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order of Knights. The Falcon Center and medieval banquets can be found at Guttenberg Castle, an intact Staufer castle owned by the same family for 550 years (see Castle Guttenberg). Bad Wimphen is an ideal Medieval Old Town with the largest fortified imperial palace north of the Alps with its red and blue towers like spire crowns over the sloped twisting narrow street lanes. The waters from where the town gets its name are still a modern medicinal bath with a health resort and mineral pool. Heilbronn is a former imperial city on the Neckar River with both Gothic and Renaisssance sights. It’s town hall with astronomical clock to the Wartberg Fortress with its view of this rich wine growing region, where boat cruises on the Neckar and wine tasting tours can be arranged.

From Heilbronn the Castle Road passes through Schwabish Hall, a colorful city of half-timbered houses on the Kocher River with a beautiful restored old town center with the massive Groscomburg palace complex standing on the hill above, a former Benedictine monastery complex built over successive years inside defensive walls and towers housing Romanesque art treasures. Langenburg Castle and Kirchberg Schloss are both on the Jagst River. Rothenberg ob der Tauber is often mentioned as the jewel city of the Castle Road where it intersects the Romantic Road. A walled city of ageless charm caught in a timelock.

Franconia to Prague

From Rothenberg the road travels through Franconia to the great walled city of Nuremberg with its imposing thick stone walls and tower gates that once protected the Holy Roman Emperors of Germany. Nuremberg is host to one of the best Christmas Markets in Germany (See Christmas Markets) along with the a branch of the German National Musem, Transport Museum and Toy Museum (See Toy Museum). Heading north for a while the road passes Rabenstein Castle through Bamberg a World Cultural Heritage Site with its 14th-16th Century Altenberg Castle, residence of the Bamberg Princes, then on to the Coberg Fortress called the “Franconian Crown” and one of the best preserved and largest castles in Germany and the Ehrenburg Palace, a 19th Century empire queeen’s palace. Bayreuth, famed for its Opera Festival is the last stop on the Burgenstrasse in Germany before it crosses into the Czech Republic with several Czech Castles and palaces, ending at the great Prague Castle (See Prague Castle) standing over the (Vlatava) Moldau River.

The Castle Road is not likely a journey one takes in one pass, but a signpost for travels and visits along different sections or individual towns and sights. There are many celebrations and events that take place in the locations along the road’s winding path. Fireworks illumination of the river and four castles in Neckatsteinach. The Swabian Fountain Festival in Schwabisch Hall, Rococo Festival of grand dances and manners in Ansbach medieval markets and wine festivals at harvest time.

The German Castle Road can be traveled by car or on coach tours. Deustche Touring offers a bus tours, both organized and just transportation. Tickets can be booked online or purchased directly on boarding the bus or at any ticket office of the Deutsche Bahn German Federal Railroad. Most all of the towns along the Castle Road have train stations with the rails running next to the road in many sections. During summer there are regular river cruise services on the Neckar River, Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, Regnitz River and the Vlatava in the Czech Republic.© Bargain Travel Europe

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See Also:

ART AND AUGUSTINER
Castle Art Museum in the Bavarian Alps

SIGMARINGEN CASTLE
Hohenzollern Palace on the Danube

MAINZ MUSEUMS
Gutenberg, Roman Galleons and Bubbly Wine

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