CASTLES

Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle
– The Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most visited castles in Germany and one of
the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.
– The castle is located in Bavaria, near the town of Fussen. It was built by King Ludwig
II of Bavaria, also known as the “Fairytale King”.
– Neuschwanstein’s positioning is also a fairytale one. It is located in the Alps in
Bavaria, Germany, in a magnificent landscape, on the top of a hill. Neuschwanstein
overlooks the Hohenschwangau valley. If you come to visit this castle, you will be
amazed by the extremely beautiful landscape that surrounds it.
– Also, Neuschwanstein lies very close to the town of Fussen, which is also a popular
tourist destination in Germany.
– This fairytale look of the Neuschwanstein castle inspired Walt Disney to create the
Magic Kingdom. Today, Neuschwanstein is the most visited castle in Germany, and
one of the most popular tourist destination in the world. Every year over 1.300.000
people cross its gate.
Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle

– Wartburg Castle
Wartburg Castle is Germany's real fairy tale castle and possibly the one most-loved
by Germans. This castle is not only beautiful and properly medieval, its walls are
thick with German history and legend. It is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage
sites.
– Wartburg Castle was built in 1097 by a Frankish count, Ludwig I of Thuringia, and
has survived structurally intact to the present day.
– There are three main historical events associated with the castle: Martin Luther hid
from the Inquisition here for a year during 1521-22, Saint Elizabeth was the mistress
of the castle from 1211 to 1228, and the legendary Meistersinger Contest,
dramatized by Wagner in the opera Tannheuser, allegedly took place in the
Troubadours' Hall in 1206.
Glücksburg Castle
Glücksburg Castle

– Glücksburg Castle is one of the most significant castles in northern Europe. It was
built at the behest of Duke John the Younger (1545-1622) between 1582 and 1587.
The master builder Nikolaus Karies constructed the water castle at the site of the
former Ryd Abbey, a medieval Cistercian monastery that occupied that location until
the reformation. The granite blocks of the old monastery form part of the
foundation and many of the bricks were used for the white plastered building.
– The castle is built on a 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) high granite foundation that emerges from
the water. The bricks used for the construction were mainly taken from the
demolished monastery. The base area is a square with sides of nearly 30 metres
(98 ft), consisting of three separate houses with their own roofs. While the great
halls and the vestibule are situated in the middle house, the living space is in the
two side houses. The chapel is the only room that is part of two houses.
Hohenzollern Castle
Hohenzollern Castle

– is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern.[a] The third of

three hilltop castles on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above
and south of Hechingen, on the edge of the Swabian Jura of central Baden-
Württemberg, Germany.
– Over the years the House of Hohenzollern split several times, but the castle
remained in the Swabian branch, the dynastic seniors of the Franconian-
Brandenburgian cadet branch that later acquired its own imperial throne
Wernigerode Castle
Wernigerode Castle

– is a schloss located in the Harz mountains above the town of Wernigerode in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The
present-day building, finished in the late 19th century, is similar in style to Schloss Neuschwanstein, though its
foundations are much older.[1] It is open to the public and one of the most frequently visited in Saxony-Anhalt
– The Wernigerode Castle was originally a medieval fort offering a stronghold for the German emperors of the
middle ages during their hunting excursions in the Harz. The castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance fortress, in the
16th century. In the late 17th century after the devastation of the thirty year war, Count Ernest of Stolberg-
Wernigerode began reconstructing the castle remains in the baroque style as a romantic castle residence for
himself. Count Otto of Stolberg-Wernigerode carried out what is considered to be probably the most important
modification in the history of the castle.

The Wernigerode castle is a very good example of the typical building style of the 'Norddeutschen Historismus'.
Parts of the castle have been open to the public since 1930.

Today two museum tours lead visitors through more than 40 furnished (partly original) grand living quarters of the
German nobility. One should certainly plan to include a visit to the fixed displays as well as the special exhibitions
on offer in the castle.
HAUNTED PLACES
Berlin Zitadelle

– is one of the best-preserved Renaissance military structures in Europe and

offers a museum, periodic concerts, a theatre and even a bat cave.
– It also has a ghost story. The site has been used for everything from a prison to
a military research facility. Back when it was a palace keep, Anna Sydow - the
ex-lover of 15th century ruler Joachim II - was locked in the castle by Joachim's
son after his passing. She died there and is said to still roam the halls as its
infamous Weiße Frau (White Lady).
Berlin Zitadelle
Black Forest

– In German this place is known as the Schwarzwald

– The Grimm Brothers set many of their fairy tales in this bewitching landscape
along the Rhine River in southwestern Germany, which looks just as you’d
imagine—so densely forested with fir and pine trees that sunlight rarely pierces
through. It makes an ideal playground for mythological creatures like sorcerers,
werewolves, witches, and kindhearted dwarves. More adult tale of hauntings,
killings, and dark magic in this forest are being heard.
Black Forest
Waldniel Hoster School

– Waldniel Hoster, also known as the Kent School, was built in 1913 by the
Franciscan Order. It was meant to aid the mentally handicapped, but there are
horrible tales of abuse and outright murder by the Nazis that ran the school. As
the political party embraced the philosophy of euthanasia, the "school"
engaged in deplorable practices and was eventually abandoned.
– It has been empty for decades...at least by the living. Creepy tales of night wails
and screams have earned the abandoned school a terrifying reputation, enough
so that it has been rebranded as a paranormal attraction with photo
tours available. Note that there is glass and nails on the ground and the building
is in disrepair so it is not safe for animals or children and you need to wear
proper shoes.
Waldniel Hoster School
Conn Barracks (Schweinfurt)

– Once used by the Nazis as a hospital, mental ward and mess hall, the site has
since been occupied by US soldiers from 1945 to 2014. But maybe the Nazis
never really left...
– Different American soldiers have reported waking up to find a Nazi soldier
standing over their bed with a blood-covered nurse. Together the two were
spotted, whispering in German about their "patient".
– This experience is unlikely to be repeated as the base was returned to the
German government on September 19, 2014.
Conn Barracks (Schweinfurt)
Frankenstein Castle

– This hilltop castle is allegedly the inspiration for Mary

Shelley's Frankenstein(although it is hotly disputed if she ever actually visited
the castle).
– The castle was built in 948 BC and inhabited by various Frankenstein. But by the
1600s the Frankenstein family had died out, the last of which in a mysterious
manner. The last heir was killed in a chariot accident on his way to visit his one
true love, Anne Marie. She is left waiting for him, only to die of a broken heart.
She still wanders the castle looking for her lost love as he wanders elsewhere,
each desperately trying to reconnect in the afterlife.
Frankenstein Castle
Babenhausen Barracks

– Babenhausen Kaserne has been home to soldiers, both German and American,
over time. Though it is now a museum, World War II ghosts still frequent the
area. Classic signs of the paranormal like lights inexplicably turning on and off,
stomping footsteps and voices heard from the basement have been reported.
– The town also has an older legend to contend with as a witch was burned at the
stake here in the 19th century. She has been blamed for seducing and killeing
German soldiers.
Babenhausen Barracks
Ghost Ship of Emden

– The SMS Emden was completed in 1909 and sailed all over the ocean blue,
before it was sunk just off the Germany's northern coast. It was returning from
a long journey and loved ones gathered at the harbor to welcome their sailors
home. The harbor master refused entrance due to personal grudge and the
rough waters beat down the battered ship until it sunk within view of land.
Under a full moon, the ship and all of its passengers disappeared beneath into
the ocean.
– This tale lives on today and locals report seeing a ghost boat on full moon
nights.
Ghost Ship of Emden
– Deep in the forests around Dieburg, Hessen, there is a crumbling, white house.
Rumour hast it that a froster lived there years ago with his family. When out on
a hunt, the father shot what he thought was a deer. It was his son, and out of
despair, his mother hanged herself and the father shot himself. His troubled
spirit has been seen pacing between the trees late at night