Broich Castle, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany

Broich Castle was originally erected to protect the town of Mülheim from invasion by the the Normans in the late 9th century. It is probably the oldest, still maintained Carolingian fortification in German-speaking Europe.

The abandoned castle was rebuilt and expanded by the noblemen of Broich in the end of the 11th century. The castle survived a long and eventful history, including bloody feuds, wars, occupation and destruction.

Over 200 years ago, Broich’s most famous guest stayed there - Luise, Queen of Prussia - as the castle was owned by her grandmother.

Today, an exhibition of the local society for history informs the visitor about these events and explains their meaning for the city Mülheim an der Ruhr. It is also a popular location for weddings, music festivals and other events.

References:

muelheim-ruhr.de

User Reviews

Janine Kotze (13 months ago)
Beautiful

Ruud Mobile (2 years ago)
For years in development and that makes it a living restaurantion. Interesting historic significance. Free admission.

Nuno Carvalho (2 years ago)
Well conserved castle. There's a museum inside. If you don't look for it you won't find it.

Kristaps Lodziņš (2 years ago)
A historical monument in the middle of Mülheim, with a scenic park right next to it.

Emilian Kavalski (2 years ago)
a beautiful old, ninth-century castle in a lovely small town

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Inna_Zyu

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The Kalozha church of Saints Boris and Gleb is the oldest extant structure in Hrodna. It is the only surviving monument of ancient Black Ruthenian architecture, distinguished from other Orthodox churches by prolific use of polychrome faceted stones of blue, green or red tint which could be arranged to form crosses or other figures on the wall.

The church is a cross-domed building supported by six circular pillars. The outside is articulated with projecting pilasters, which have rounded corners, as does the building itself. The ante-nave contains the choir loft, accessed by a narrow gradatory in the western wall. Two other stairs were discovered in the walls of the side apses; their purpose is not clear. The floor is lined with ceramic tiles forming decorative patterns. The interior was lined with innumerable built-in pitchers, which usually serve in Eastern Orthodox churches as resonators but in this case were scored to produce decorative effects. For this reason, the central nave has never been painted.

The church was built before 1183 and survived intact, depicted in the 1840s by Michał Kulesza, until 1853, when the south wall collapsed, due to its perilous location on the high bank of the Neman. During restoration works, some fragments of 12th-century frescoes were discovered in the apses. Remains of four other churches in the same style, decorated with pitchers and coloured stones instead of frescoes, were discovered in Hrodna and Vaŭkavysk. They all date back to the turn of the 13th century, as do remains of the first stone palace in the Old Hrodna Castle.

In 2004, the church was included in the Tentative List of UNESCO"s World Heritage Sites.

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