Fürstenberg Castle Ruins, Rheindiebach, Germany

Fürstenberg Castle was built in 1219 by the Archbishop of Cologne to protect his property and toll station. It was destroyed during the Palatine Wars of Succession. Victor Hugo was once impressed by its powerful shielding wall and keep. The former massive curtain wall has recently been restored and the remains of the original rendering have been exposed and are now visible again.

References:

welterbe-atlas.de

User Reviews

Thomas Vogel (20 months ago)
Wunderschöne Aussicht mit Blick auf den Rhein. Immer ein Spaziergang wert im Herbst besonders schön wenn sich die Weinberge anfangen sich bunt zufärben

Tanya Orlova (2 years ago)
Ощущение величия и небольшой грусти. Такой прекрасный замок стоит заброшенный. Въехали на свой страх и риск. Кажется, он закрыт для людей. Но мы поснимали 20 минут и уехали. Прикольно. Если вы прогуливались по Рейну, заезжайте на 10 минуток, не пожалеете.

Heinz Seuthe (2 years ago)
Interessante Ruine. Auf eigene Gefahr wieder begehbar. Allerdings nur für Menschen, die gut zu Fuß sind.

Albert Kruegel (2 years ago)
My wife and I really enjoyed hiking to Ruin. It was great because there were there by ourselves. You felt as if you were stepping back in time. Absolutely amazing.

scott bunker (2 years ago)
Great Sunday walk.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

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Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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Fürstenberg Castle Ruins

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