Cochem Castle Germany - The Largest Hillside Castle on the Mosel River.

 

The Cochem Castle is the largest hillside castle on the Mosel River and one of the best tourist attraction in Germany. Its picturesque castle towering 300 feet above the river draws visitors to the charming town midway up the hill and up to Cochem Imperial Castle at the top. With so many things to do, visitors can easily spend 2-3 days Cochem and its. It is generally assumed that Cochem Castle was built around the year 1000 by the palatinate count Ezzo, son and successor to palatinate count Hermann Pusilius. Later ravaged by Louis XIV’s troops during the 17th century, and renovated in the 19th century by Berlin businessman Louis Ravené, Cochem Castle also known as Reichsburg Cochem or the Imperial. Cochem Castle blends architectural eras and styles. Poised more than 300 feet (91 meters) above the Moselle River, the landmark can be visited on guided tours, while a series of festive events throughout the year offer another way to experience it.

 

 

One of the landmark’s draws in the Castle is a Tavern Restaurant, open daily through the summer high season and sporadically during the low season. It serves fresh, local cuisine and offers an open-air terrace with views over the river. Beyond its regular schedule of guided tours, Cochem Castle hosts several annual events that are their own popular draws. The Knight’s Meal (a medieval feast complete with costumed entertainers) is held roughly once weekly during the high season. The castle also organized special events like the Medieval Castle festival at the beginning of August and the Christmas festivity during December.

 

 

During the high season, which typically runs from March through October, the castle including its restaurant is open every day, from morning until early evening. Guided tours are the only way to visit the castle’s interior. German tours are offered regularly, and English tours less often. Visitors can get tickets at the main gate just before the guided tour starts. The guided tour is offered in English and German. It's almost a tour of 40 minutes in which the guide takes to the different sections of the castle and explains the history of the castle.

 

 

Dining Room: The tour starts from the dining hall, built in the Neo-renaissance style. The painted wall panels and the dining hall ceiling were decorated with carvings. The motives are inspired by Greek mythology and Bible.

 

Gothic Room: The Gothic room is named after the ceiling gothic Vault also known as Caminata, a Chimney-heated room. The room has different furniture from different times.

 

Romanesque Room: This room is also named after its ceiling structure. The ceiling is painted and symbolizes fortitude, wisdom, justice, and moderation.

 

Hunting Room: The walls of the hunting room decorated with the trophies of the animals from Eifel and Hunsruck.

 

Knight's Hall: It's the largest hall in the Castle which has two large paintings.

 

Weapon's Room: The room display a collection of armor, battle axes, and spears from the 16th century.

 

Balcony: It has the most magnificent view of the Mosel River. In mid-age, the castle served as a customs castle on the trade route between Germany and France.

 

Courtyard: There are 7 rooms out of 50 rooms of the castle that are open and visited during the guided tour. There's a chapel in the castle famous for weddings and small concerts. There's also a well in the courtyard which provides drinking water to the castle's residents.

 

Witch Tower: It's a tall round tower that survived the castle's restructure in 1689, so that's why it's famous as a witch tower.

 

 

The Castle is very crowded over the weekends. If you want to visit during the weekend, it's better to go early in the morning to avoid crowds. Most convenient is the shuttle bus which runs from the train station to the Castle during the peak season from April to November. The castle's picturesque location on top of the hill means visitors have to hike to get there. The walk up Schlossstrasse only takes about 20 minutes.