I undertook no larger journey this year, but my father and I - sometimes together with some friends - did a number of day tours and hiking trips which accumulated a fair amount of photos. So there will be a Back With Booty post.
Of, course, we can haz castles and castle ruins. *grin*
Castle Scharfenstein near Leinefelde in Thuringia dates to the early 13th century, though it suffered from a severe fire in the 1430ies and was rebuilt in a more moderate scale. Like so many historical buildings in the former GDR it was neglected, but restoration is going on since 2006 and by now the castle is in pretty good repair.
The castle is known as Altenstein (Old Rock) or Altenburg (Old Castle). It's a pretty obscure 14th century castle, and I couldn't find much information about its history. Its lords were vassals of the landgraves of Thuringia in the 15th century, but the castle eventually fell to Hessia. It was returned to the county of Thuringia after WW2. Today, only some ruins are hidden in the woods.
The walls of the impressive great hall (palas) of Castle Grebenstein near Kassel still survive. The 13th century castle played an important role in the ongoing quarrels between the landgraves of Hessia, the archbishops of Mainz and the landgraves of Thuringia. It was in possession of the Counts of Everstein in the late 13th century who also held Castle Polle at the Weser. Thus Castle Grebenstein is another knot in the net of the connections of local noble families.
The keep of Castle Greene has been restored like in many other castles, but only some ruins are left of the curtain walls and other buildings. The castle controlled the river Leine and has seen a fair amount of interesting history which I'll have to hunt down.
This one, situated near the village of Nentershausen in Hessia, has been restored and offers a nice place for weddings and other celebrations. They also serve Mediaeval food, though adapted to modern tastes - you can get coffee. *grin* When I asked for a guidebook, the reply was that some historians are working on it but it'll take time because there are so many contradictory sources. I know that problem only too well.
Of the famous Castle Sachsenburg near Walkenried, one of the main Harz fortresses of the emperor Heinrich IV, only a few ruins remain. He was forced to dismantle the castle after the peace with the rebellious Saxon nobles, and it was never restored. Though I'm sure there is more hiding under the earth than one can see - a bit of archaeogical digging should prove interesting. Anyone got the funds? ;-)
We also revisited two castles.
When I visited the Weidelsburg in 2008, repair work had been going on and the western keep had been scaffolded in. I wanted to return once the whole sandblasting, mortar replacing and cleaning of brambles in the zwinger would be done with. The castle looks really nice now - and it was impressive already before.
The Hanstein is not so far from where I live, so it was not a big deal to go there again with my new camera. The posts about that castle need to be rewritten, and I could do with some additional photos.
Another visit brought us to the palatine seat in Gelnhausen. It played an important role in the history of the Staufen family (esp. in the feud of the emperor Friedrich Barbarossa with Heinrich the Lion), which is why I wanted some photos of that one for a long time. I had been there as child, so it was a trip down the memory lane as well. It seemed larger to me back then.
There was more than castles, of course.
On the way back from Gelnhausen we stopped at the famous Celtic Museum on the Glauberg. That's another place that had been on my wish list for quite some time. Those Celts are just fascinating.
And here's the guy which graces the cover of at least two thirds of all books about the Celts, the 'Celtic prince with the leaf crown'. The statue probably stood on top of the tumulus once; now it is inside the museum. I was surprised that the guy isn't much taller than I am - somehow I got a mental image of a 8-10 feet tall statue.
St. Mary's Church in Wilhelmshausen near Kassel is all that remains of the monastery of Wahlshausen. It is another of those pretty Romanesque churches you can find in German villages. It is also the burial site of the last Lord of Sichelnstein, Bardo, who died in 1239 (though the tomb doesn't remain).
Salzwedel had been an important town involved in the salt trade in Mediaeval times, and member of the Hanseatic League. Unfortunately, it was situated in the GDR and thus neglected. Much has been done after the reunion, but it can't rival its big sister Lüneburg.
The architecture is mostly brick, typical for the nothern German Hanseatic towns. The keep of the castle remains as well as several churches of Romanesque and Gothic style. But else the place is rather quiet, and some houses still in bad need of repair.
The Benedictine monastery (or rather, nunnery) in Arendsee was founded in 1183. It is a beautiful example of Romanesque brick architecture. The church survives intact, but of the other buildings only ruins remain. Pretty, picturesque ruins on a hill at a lake that shone with a clear blue on that sunny afternoon.
Lovely and peaceful.
Don't miss the second post about our summer tours below. That one gives glimpses into our hiking tours.