We visited the beautiful town of Cochem, Germany by train. This is one of my favorite towns in Germany, so far. We left the train station and walked down the Promenade to the bridge and town area. The Promenade is a really beautiful area of town, it has a beautiful lawn with flower gardens that line the Moselle River. I spotted my first European Robin on the lawn. It has very nice sitting areas to watch the boats go by.
After enjoying the Promenade we walked to the bridge where we noticed a cute tour train, we paid our $5 and took the tour of the town. It started at the old Moselle bridge and took us through part of the old town. We enjoyed magnificent views of Cochem and the impressive Reichsburg Castle high up on the hill. The journey continued to the Moselle Street and along the vineyards parallel to the impressive castle before crossing the other bridge back into town. It was about a 30 minute ride, we enjoyed it much. We didn’t understand a word they said, but still enjoyed the views. :-)
The castle we saw 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.
The castle remained a colorful stone ruin for 180 years until wealthy Berlin businessman Louis Ravené decided to buy the ruins and rebuild the castle in 1868. But he was not interested in restoring it to its original Romanesque style and condition. He had his architects create a neo-Gothic castle that could serve as a summer residence for his family. (Interestingly, Ravené did this in the same year that Bavarian King Ludwig II began construction on his Romanesque revival Neuschwanstein Castle, also built upon the ruins of an old castle.) I took a lot of pictures of this beauty and hope you enjoy them. Check back later for more of our adventures in Germany.