Thurant Castle

Alken, Germany

Thurant Castle (Burg Thurant) was built in 1198-1206 by Heinrich Pfalgraf Guelphs. It was besieged in 1246-1248 during the war between Trier and Cologne archbishops. After the war the castle was interestingly divided to two parts, Trier tower and Cologne Tower. Both sides had a separate entrance and living buildings. In the 19th century the castle was left to decay, but restored in the 20th century.

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Address

Bachstraße 50, Alken, Germany
See all sites in Alken

Details

Founded: 1198-1206
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

www.thurant.de

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

J. Levy (6 months ago)
Stopped randomly as we drove from the east towards Eltz castle. Absolutely worth a stop! Entrance fee was minimal and an amazing view the entire self guided tour. Castle was bombed in WW2 but lots of parts are still standing and they had a few areas that we thought were unique to see in a castle. We stayed about 40 min with kids under 9 and they loved it due to the torture part with real human bones and getting to climb the tower to the top. Views are phenomenal. Hike up looks stout. We were lazy and parked right up top, about 15-20 spots up there. Ice cream for sale. Bathrooms. A great little stop!! And the village below is absolutely charming and beautiful! .
Kamil NOWAK (9 months ago)
800 years old castle - ?, not super amazing huge but easy access and still in usage by owners. Cheap ticket and beautiful view over Mossel valley
Anya Ishq (10 months ago)
My favorite castle so far in the trip.. it’s very small but mighty.. standing tall on hill top facing Mosselle valley.. on the slope there is a winery.. it’s one of the oldest castles in the valley and ticket is only 4.50€
Sascha Philippi (11 months ago)
This castle complex is the most beautiful I have ever seen. The gardens are beautifully planted. The castle is quite winding, which makes exploring even more interesting. The view is brilliant. There is a lot to see and a lot to read about the history. What a great trip!!
Danielle Cummings (2 years ago)
Came here on a hot July 2022 weekday afternoon with my three kids ages 6, 4, and 2, and one other adult. We put the castle itself in as our GPS destination in Google Maps and found it easily. The parking lot is directly in front of the castle, is free, is quite sunny, is somewhat small, and has great views of the river and opposite town. The short walk to the castle brings you across what feels like must have been a drawbridge and into the kasse, where you can purchase tickets, I believe only with cash. They also have souvenirs and ice cream here. The staff member did not speak English, but was very friendly despite my poor attempts at attempting to speak in German. From there, you then enter the courtyard of the castle, which has beautiful gardens and a partially covered patio with tables. The bathrooms are accessible via this courtyard, though 25-50 meters ahead on the right down a flight of stairs. They are free and clean but somewhat small. The bulk of the interior of the castle is inaccessible as it is still partially inhabited, but there are a few towers and rooms you can look at. The tower stands out in my memory as it involves climbing an actual ladder at one point, and each level of the tower had a room with various decorations and things to look at. There is also a cool feature in the lower part of the castle that held the stables. All said and done, it took about 1 hour to explore the whole castle that we were given access to, moving at a slow pace. We extended the stay by having a snack at one of the patio tables, which we had brought from home. The castle had a few other guests exploring while we were there, but it wasn't overly crowded on this summer weekday afternoon. Overall, this is a beautiful castle with a few interesting unique features, but without much "bulk" for a visitor to explore, though the close parking, small gift shop, and great views make it worth a 30-60 minute drive, in my opinion, especially if you find something else to do in the area. I should add - no masks were required nor proof of vaccination.
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