User Reviews
Château de Commercy was built to the site of 13th century castle on the small hill adjacent to Maas/Meuse river. The current Baroque palace was built by Charles of Lorraine in early 1700s. The castle was later owned also by Stanisław Leszczyński, the former king of Poland. After his death the area was used by cavalry and left to decay until 20th century. Today it is restored.
Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.