COCHEM’S REICHSBURG CASTLE
Majestic Jewel of the Mosel River Valley
Perhaps one of the most visually impressive castles of Germany, certainly not the largest, oldest or historically important, but upon approach either along the banks of the Mosel River (Moselle) of western Germany or from above on the winding road from the A 48, the Reichsburg Imperial Castle’s cone roof and spired tower stands above the walls like a jewel in a crown, perched on a steep sloped hilltop, high above the town of Cochem. The original castle was first built around the year 1,000, as the seat of a Palatine Count Ezzo of Erenfriede. Romanesque era foundations are found showing a fortifying of an earlier fortress around the year 1056, when the core of the central main square keep was built with walls up to 12 feet thick. With Palatine infighting coming to a head in 1151, the Hohenstaufen King Konrad III moved from Boppard (see Boppard on the Rhine) and seized Cochem Castle from the feuding palatinate counts, making it an Imperial Castle (Reichsburg) of the region under the Hohenstaufers (see Neckartal Castle Guttenburg).
Cochem Castle History
The original castle was destroyed in the Palatine Wars of Succession in the 17th Century (see Genealogy Museum Kaiserslautern) when the soldiers of France’s King Louis XIV invaded the Rhine and Mosel region. The castle was occupied by the French in 1688 and set on fire and mined with explosives, blowing up the defensive structures on May 19th, 1689 when much of the town was destroyed as well. The castle was seized again by the French under Napoleon in 1794 for a cannonade position commanding the river below. Following the departure of the French after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo (see Battleground Museums Waterloo), the castle was a ruin until it was bought in 1868 by a wealthy Berlin businessman who had it completely reconstructed in the neo-Gothic romantic revival fervor of the 19th Century. Since 1978 the castle has been again been owned by the town of Cochem.
Cochem Village
Cochem
is a beautiful quaint town at the heart of the Mosel River valley surrounded
by the wine
vineyards,
famed for the Mosel’s flowery
Reisling wines, that cling to the steep slopes of dark slate along the
river. The Mosel has less barge traffic than the Rhine, left mostly to
the cruise boats which make regular stops and departures from Cochem
(see KD
Cruises Rhine-Mosel). The Cochem village can get very crowded
in the summer months, (this part of Germany gets longer periods of sunshine),
popular with German and foreign tourists alike. The town doesn’t
have many large hotels, as it is tucked tight along the riverside, but
offers many smaller family owned hotels and bed & breakfast type
accommodations. It seems nearly every house near the tourist center will
have signs of
guest rooms
for
rent
(“gastezimmer frei”). You can try your luck showing up. But
get there early on weekends and check at the tourist office just on the
river
road in the town center.
Visiting Cochem Imperial Castle
The castle offers regular daily guided tours lasting about 40 minutes from March 15 to November 15. Regular admission is €5 for adults and €3 for children, with a family ticket for €14.50. Cochem Castle also offers a “Knight’s Meal” medieval feast with costumed servants and maids, hosted by the Lord of the Manor with a goblet of Mosel wine and entertainment provided by jesters and authentic music ending with a knighting ceremony. The medieval meals last about 4 hours and usually held Fridays and Saturday. The dinners are for groups, but individuals can be placed in open seats. The price is €45 per person and includes the tour. Tickets must be booked in advance. The castle can be reached by foot from the Mosel Promenade on a trail up the back from the river or up the Schlosstrasse from the center of town stating at the cathedral. By car you can drive up to the upper town and park near the local Grammar School (Gymnasium).
Getting to Cochem on the Mosel
By auto, Cochem is about a hour west from Koblenz (where
the Mosel joins the Rhine) or 1 ½ hours east from Trier
or Luxemburg to the west, 2 hours from Cologne or Mainz. If castle hunting
there are several others along the Mosel, the most preserved including
Burg Eltz about 15 minutes (with a short hike), Thurant Castle easily
reached by road (see Castle
Thurant) and Ehrenburg with
its unique stonework defenses. From Cochem you can cross the river and
drive
narrow roads, about an hour direct to Boppard in the midst
the middle Rhine castle area (see Castle
Marksburg). © Bargain Travel Europe
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See Also:
BURG ELTZ MOSEL RHINELAND
BURG REICHENSTEIN - RHINE CASTLE HOTEL
GERMAN WINE ROAD - BAD DURKHEIM
SAAR LOOP VIEWPOINT - SAARSHLIEFF
BARBAROSSA'S CASTLE RUINS KAISERSWERTH
