We had a really fun birthday trip to Cochem in October. We stayed in an unusual hotel that was the guard house for the city-gate in 1332. In our room were beds owned by the Holy Roman Empress, Maria-Therese, who had them made extra long (2 meters) so that her dog had room at the foot.
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City gate from 1332 with guardhouse
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Maria-Therese's bed
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Document of the bed
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Hotel Alte Torschenke
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Reichsburg Cochem
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Cochem is on the bank of the Mosel River, which was an important trade route in the middle ages. A toll station on the river at Cochem made the city prosperous, and so a castle was built to protect the chain that stretched across the river that prevented passage. The castle goes back to around 1100, and in 1151, the Holy Roman Emperor, Konrad III, captured the castle. Since then, it has been referred to as the
Reichsburg (Imperial castle).
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Road up the hill
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Drawing of the castle ruin
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The troupes of King Louis XIV of France invaded the Rhine
and the Moselle area in 1688, and in March 1689, the castle was set on fire,
undermined and blown up.
The castle remained a ruin until 1868, when a Berlin businessman bought the
castle grounds and the ruins in order to rebuild the castle as a family retreat. The Prussian King Wilhelm I authorized the sale on the following conditions:
- The preservation of the standing ruins and the reconstruction according to historic parameter
- Authorization of the building plans by the Minister for science and culture
- Partial opening of the castle to the public
- Preemption right of the state
The family collection of Renaissance and Baroque furniture was added to the castle, which was the main attraction for me.
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Castle furnishings
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More castle furnishings
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Our tour guide (during the pandemic)
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Lord of the Manor welcoming us
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After the tour of the castle, we took part in an authentic medieval feast (called a Rittermahl, or Knight's meal). The Lord of the Manor welcomed us with a goblet of Moselle wine (a very nice Riesling) and told us about medieval customs and table manners.
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Servants provided water for washing hands
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Servants and maids in period costumes served us bread with lard, and then make the rounds while a hot and spicy soup is steaming in the cookery pot. Huge drum sticks are served for the main course.
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Jesters provided entertainment
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Jesters in medieval outfits provide entertainment and authentic music. Old “torture instruments” are displayed, and the evening ended with the traditional knighting ceremony.
The meal came to an end with cheese, grapes and biscuits. And more wine, of course.
