-- Cruises

-- Vineyards

-- Cologne

---- Cathedral

---- Museum

-- Bonn

-- Remagen

-- Koblenz

-- Enemy Brothers

-- Schoenburg

-- Sankt Goar

-- Rheinfels

-- Marksburg

-- Gutenfels and Pfalz

-- Lorelei

-- Ruedesheim

-- Stahleck

-- Reichenstein

-- Rheinstein

-- Lodging

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-- Copyright © Don Douglas
-- http://www.dondouglas.com

The Marksburg is one of the best preserved castles on the Rhine, the only one of the hilltop* castles on the Rhine never to have been destroyed or have suffered major damage in war. Perhaps what prevented the kind of destruction the others suffered is its defensible hilltop location combined with a very tall keep. Until WWII, the only destructions it suffered were caused by earthquakes and the normal ravages of time and weather. (*The Pfalzgrafenstein by Kaub is located in mid-river.)

The Marksburg is first mentioned in 1231, although the lower parts of the keep might date back to the previous century, perhaps constructed by the Freemen of Brubach. For centuries, the castle was in the hands of the counts of Katzenelnbogen, who built the Gothic structures around the original keep.

Today, Marksburg is the headquarters of the Deutsche Burgenvereinigung (German Castle Association). Guided tours are offered year-round (except Christmas and the day before) with multiple language options available in printed form. Information about the Marksburg in English can be found here. The photographs below were taken at different times, with the inset one at lower left being shot earlier, before the current paint scheme.