Hi all
We are staying in Heidelberg for 4 days in July then off to Innsbruck for 3 days. While the typical castle tours will be visited, we would like to visit a place that is off the beaten path and a non-touristy type of castle. I would like to immerse myself in what it was like in all parts of a castle, not just the polished tour rooms and halls. So my question: are there castles we can visit that don't have a gift shop and we can go up in a tower or down in a dungeon and explore on our own? Much thanks
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
There are plenty around Heidelberg. Look on a map- there are castles (in various states of ruin) overlooking the towns of Auerbach, Heppenheim, Weinheim (two of them here), Schriesheim, Hirschhorn, Neckarsteinach, and probably more I don't know of. Burg Frankenstein (yes, that is the real name), sits near the northen edge of the Odenwald and the Bergstraße and on a clear day, offers an amazing view of the entire Rhine-Neckar valley, Darmstadt, Frankfurt, the Pfalzerwald and the Taunus mountains. In the Odenwald itself, the beautiful town of Lindenfels has a castle rising from a hill smack in the center of town. Niederhausen has both a small Schloß and a castle ruin. Somewhere in the woods nearby, there is also another castle ruin that I haven't seen yet. Finally, there are many watchtowers scattered throughout the whole region. Although I'm uncertain about the castles near Hirschhorn or Neckarsteinach, none of the above charge admission or have a souvenir shop. However, most of them are partial ruins, so you'll have to use your imagination to immerse yourself. A few have restaurants, and the one above Heppenheim (a gorgeous town, BTW) is now a youth hostel. None of the above are more than an hour's drive from Heidelberg, and most are less than 30 minutes away. Speaking of Heidelberg... of course, the Heidelberg Schloß is well-known (and charges admission), but on top of the Heiligenberg (the mountain on the opposite side of the Neckar river from Heidelberg's Altstadt), you'll find the extensive remains of a medieval monastery. And just below this, you can visit one of the largest undamaged building projects from the Nazi era, the Heidelberg Thingstätte. Basically, an outdoor ampitheater
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
You can also stay in Castles that have been converted into hotels. Two of our favorites are Castle Colmberg: http://www.burg-colmberg.de/showpage.php?SiteID=1&lang=2 and also Castle Veldenstein: http://www.burghotel-veldenstein.de/Home_eng.htm
Posted by
Germany, Germany
813 posts
Our favorites are Burg Hohenzollern, Castle Lichtenstein near Honau (not Liechtenstein), and Meersburg, which has a real dungeon that was actually used. They are all right on your way are real historic castles, not the polished palaces.
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
Check out this list with links to photos, history, description, locations: http://www.roadstoruins.com/directory.html
Posted by
OP
Saratoga Springs, NY
2 posts
Thanks Folks!, Love this site. Lots of great info. I think I may cut one day off Heidelberg and stay in a castle for a night on the way to Innsbruck.
Any other suggestion for places to stay? Dank