Blankenheim Castle, Blankenheim, Germany

Blankenheim Castle was built around 1115 by Gerhard I and became the family seat of the House of Blankenheim. The lords of Blankenheim were elevated to the countship in 1380.

The site has been remodelled on numerous occasions. In the course of time the medieval defensive site was converted into a Baroque schloss with a Baroque garden and an orangery. Its end came in September 1794, when French troops marched into Blankenheim. Countess Augusta of Manderscheid-Blankenheim and her family fled to Bohemia.

For a long time the castle remained uninhabited until, in 1894, Prussia started work on safety measures. In 1926 it was taken over by the German Gymnastics Club and, in 1936, the site was acquired by the German Youth Hostel Association. They converted the castle into a youth hostel.

In 1996 the wildlife park tunnel was rediscovered. It is a noteworthy water supply gallery. Although the River Ahr flows nearby, the castle depended on rainwater. As a result, Count Dietrich III of Manderscheid-Blankenheim had a water supply tunnel excavated in 1469. The water from the spring In der Rhenn was thereby diverted from about a kilometre away and led to the castle.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Just Hemelaar (3 years ago)
The perfect place to spend your holiday. A great view, many more private facilities than you might expect and very friendly people. I don’t like staying at the same place more than once but i have been at the castle twice and would love to stay there again.

Will (3 years ago)
I was not inside of the castle or stayed there, I am talking about the walk and sights of the castle as you make your way up from the village. The castle and town are a nice late medieval style with narrow streets and many old "fachwerk" houses some still with the original builders family Crest on it The view from the way up to and from the castle walls are quite nice down into the Ahr river valley and onto the lake.

M. S. (3 years ago)
Ok

Gints Kļaviņš (4 years ago)
Here the river Ahr begins. Beautiful town

Alexander Theunissen (4 years ago)
It was incredible. Near at the hostel ja a great Tower, there is a great Party every night

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Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

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In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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