Hello Travelers, I am off to Germany's Rhine Valley next month and need your advice. For those of you have visited both the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and Marksburg Castle, which did you prefer? Unfortunately I only have time for one in my schedule. I am leaning toard Ehrenbreitstein, but since Rick touts Marksburg, I am worried I am making the wrong choice. I plan on visiting Burg Eltz as well as Ludwig's castles down south later in the trip so I will get plenty of castles... Thoughts?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
The Marksburg is much older, if that matters.
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
The places mentioned in your post are actually 3 different types of buildings - one fortress (Ehrenbreitstein), two castles (Eltz and Marksburg), and one residential palace (N'stein) - not 3 castles.
Ehrenbreitstein as you see it today is a sprawling 19th-century complex of buildings that served the needs of the Prussian Army. The French blew up the earlier structure, as they did most such places along the Rhine. There are a couple of museums and a youth hostel there now. You can see in the photo why it's designated a "fortress" and not a castle.
Ehrenbreitstein
Marksburg Castle is a much smaller structure that has been around for 700 years and remained intact the whole time. A tour takes about one hour, the walk from town about 20 minutes.
Marksburg photo
Ludwig's "castle" is often called that by Anglophones, but Germans call it a "Schloß" (palace.) That's because it's actually a late 19th-century residential palace that Ludwig lived in 6 months, one that merely resembles a castle. It doesn't qualify as a castle as it was never intended or used as a defensive structure. In fact, with the exception of attracting tourists, it was hardly used at all for anything (except tourism, of course) after the theatrical set designer's faux-castle dream became Ludwig's reality. It was never actually finished, but it was the inspiration for Disney's castles, it does have a few interesting period furnishings and art, it is a stunning oddity, and international tourists want to see it. At $17 for a 30-minute tour, I think it's a good way for the Bavarian Palace Authority to pull in some cash, but not a place to learn about castles, and not a tour I recommend to friends, especially if they're making the 2.5 hour trip each way from Munich just to see N'stein.
Go with Marksburg for a look at a real castle. Eltz is very good too - very interesting furnishings and maybe a little more like a museum, but very good.
Posted by
San Francisco
14980 posts
Hi,
I don't know Marksburg so can't offer an opinion on that whereas the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein I am familiar with since I stayed at the hostel located there. My choice is Ehrenbreitstein. From there you can see the Deutsches Eck, that corner where the Moselle and Rhine meet. The Prussian monument on Deutsches Eck is the rebuilt one, less flamboyant than the original. The original was damaged in the war when the Americans reached Koblenz.
Posted by
Rosemount, MN, USA
76 posts
You can take a gondola from Ehrenbreitstein down to the Duetsches eck. Pretty convenient way to see both sites and nice views as you cross the river.
If only comparing Ehrenbreitstein (fortress) to Marksburg (castle) I enjoyed Marksburg more. But doing Ehrenbreitstein and the gondola ride to the eck and factoring in that you will be visiting Burg Eltz I would skip Marksburg.