Saturday, October 31, 2015

Reichsburg Castle Cochem

Reichsburg Cochem
(Imperial Castle, Cochem)

The Cochem Castle, or Reichsburg Cochem in German, is a place where history comes to life. The castle we see today towering above the scenic town of Cochem on the Moselle River is not the castle that originally stood there in the 12th century. That castle had a long and colorful history until French King Louis XIV had his troops obliterate it in 1689.

Cochem Castle dates back to the first millennium, the year 1000 A.D. It was the home of the Palatinate counts and was built on the orders of Count Ezzo. The first historical mention of this castle is from 1051, when it was given as a gift to a nephew, Henry I by Richeza, the oldest daughter of Ezzo and one-time Queen of Poland.


 Getting to the Castle

click to enlarge images


The castle sits perched upon a 100 m (328 ft) hill overlooking the River Moselle.  We took a shuttle bus to the castle summit where we were then met by a local guide for a tour of the interior of the castle. Qualified guides will show you the most beautiful rooms and make you familiar with the history of Cochem Castle.

Since we were part of a large group, there was a pre-assigned time for us to be at the castle.  We still had to wait for our group number to be called before beginning the interior tour.


View from Terrace


Just before the conclusion of the tour, we were treated to an amazing view from the terrace of the castle.  From this vantage point you can see the winding river, and the town below.

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:


Our visit to Cochem was on day eight of our 13-day river cruise on Avalon Artistry II.   If you are just joining us, be sure to review our previous posts.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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