Heather P.
Yelp
With an impressive history dating back to the 1000 A.D, Reischburg Cochem was sold to the city of Cochem in 1332. It had an eventful journey and was eventually burned during the 30 Year War in 1689 by King Louis XIV's troops. In 1886 Louis Fréderic Jacques Ravené purchased the Imperial castle ruins for 300 gold coins, or about €500. Quite a steal, but it was a costly reconstruction overseen by Ravené himself, but it was a beautiful ending with most of the original pieces of furniture still remaining in the castle today.
The castle of Cochem overlooks the town of Cochem as well as an expansive view of the Mosel River. With a short hike up a very steep hill, you come across the castle entrance. Without a guided tour, unfortunately no access to the grounds is permitted, though you can explore the gift shop and café. The castle has various hours through the winter and spring, so check their website before visiting as no tours may be happening the day you visit. We visited on the last day of the Winter 2 hours so we were able to get tickets to the last English tour of the day, which was amazing because our tour guide spoke perfect English and was very detailed in the information she shared with our group of 12. Tickets for the tour are €7 for adults, €3,50 for children(6-12), groups of 12 or more are €6 per person, students over 18 are €6 and families(with at least 2 children under 18) are €18,50. Tours last approximately 45 minutes with a tour through the courtyard, and approximately 10 rooms! Make sure you rub the red tummy of the mermaid guardian for good luck as you pass to the Huntsman's room! Our guide said everyone who has made a wish has had it come true. There is also a chapel that people still use for weddings, which I love because the backdrop of the Mosel and vineyards would make for stunning photos.
The rooms we toured were decorated in Neo-Gothic stylings, wood carved furnishings, antlers from hunted game and fine china. We learned that some of the doors were truck doors leading to nowhere, some leading under the castle and one that lead to Ravené's room which was a hidden door built into the wall! Every room was designed to be perfectly symmetrical so if one door opened into a room, the one on the other side would lead into a wall. Simply for decoration and to complete the look Ravené was going for. Many of the rooms have been painstakingly restored to their former glory after being painted over in white during the Nazi era of WWII. The only remaining original piece of the castle is the Witch's Tour, named because when fires ravaged the castle, it was the only one that didn't burn so locals said it was protected by magic and that a witch lived there, which I thought was interesting since of course, that's what people in that century would assume haha. Our guide encouraged us to take as many photos as we wanted but asked us not to lean on any of the furniture as it was all from the 1800's.
The castle also hosts a Knight's Feast on Friday and Saturday evenings during the spring and summer. It's a 4 hour event, similar to Medieval Times, minus the knights jousting. It's a 4 course meal eaten with your hands, and costs about €60 a person. It is by reservation only and tickets book up quickly as it's quite limited. We plan on going back around March 17th, when the feast starts up again! So I'll update this when we attend that event.
Definitely a castle worth visiting, the tour is interesting and informative, breathtaking views, a cute shopping area at the bottom of the hill and a lovely café to eat at before or after your tour and plenty of awesome souvenirs to take home a memory of your visit. I can't wait to come back, especially since it's only an hour drive from our house.
