We did a guided tour of the castle which takes about an hour. We learned about the history, different rooms, weaponry, & armor. This is the only hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine not to have been destroyed. It has beautiful views of the Rhine River looking down. When walking up to the castle from the parking lot, there's a stairs path or uphill incline- definitely moderate walking with the uphill and stone paths so bring proper comfortable shoes to walk around in. read more

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Knowledgeable and hilarious tour guide, authentic castle history it is the highlight of our trip in Germany read more

Marksburg - Exterior of the castle as you walkt through the first of four gates - Museums Near Me - Braubach, RP

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This was an excursion from a cruise we were on. You get to walk through an old castle with a volunteer guide who explains what you're seeing, talks about some history, and shared facts about the castle, it's owners, and the area. Our guide at the castle was great. He obviously enjoyed leading tours and we gad a good time with him. (One interesting fact is that a Japanese company created a replica of this castle in Japan... in the Ueno German Culture Village on Miyakojima. It's a theme park attraction, though that island is nearer to Taiwan than any of the main Japanese islands.) But I digress... to enjoy this castle, you do need to be able to climb stairs and uneven inclines and have sturdy shoes. There are switchbacks to get to the entrance from the parking lot and the interior of the castle is not all "modern safety equipped" with hand rails and ramps. It is a castle and has largely been preserved as it was. (If it were easy to access, it might not hold the distinction of having never been compromised.) The views from the castle are beautiful and the museum aspect is educational while the guided portion is and fun and, if you listen carefully, you'll learn some cool things... like how they were able to use refrigeration all year and that it was used as a prison for a while (built to keep people OUT, but used to keep people IN) before being made into what it is today. Overall, an interesting look into the past. read more

Marksburg - Marksburg Castle - Museums Near Me - Braubach, RP

We stopped to tour this castle while we were in port for one of our cruise stops. Marksburg Castle is one of two castles on the Rhine River that was never destroyed - it sits high up on a hill with panoramic views all around. The guide was energetic and full of interesting information. My favorite tidbit was that some Japanese businessmen wanted to buy the castle. When they were told it wasn't for sale, they were given permission to obtain the dimensions instead, and built an exact replica in Miyakojima, Japan. Trippy! There's plenty to see inside: torture chambers, suits of armor, weapons, a witch's garden, and various castle furnishings. I enjoyed it all. If you have any mobility issues, it's a bit of a steep walk to the entrance. Once inside, there are uneven cobblestone surfaces and multiple staircases. There is a little gift shop and small cafe also. Definitely worth checking out. read more

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Did this as part of paid cruise tour. It's actually boring, you see very little of the castle. Your time is better spent wondering around the town. read more

Wow! Very interesting castle with lots of artifacts and beautiful grounds! Lots of photo opportunities here as well! This was a stop on our Viking River Cruise. I recommend good walking sneakers since it's a lot of walking on cobblestone. The castle is very old and one of the rooms displays coat of arms for each family that once occupied the castle. I believe it dates back to the 13th century. Now the castle is maintained by a historic society that does a great job maintaining the garden and grounds, and filling the rooms with interesting artifacts. There's also a gift shop and cafe on the grounds. Highly recommend making a visit here, there's lot to see both inside and outside of the castle, with great views of the Rhine river as well! read more

Marksburg - Medieval instruments - Museums Near Me - Braubach, RP

It is difficult to find a castle that is intact and has never been destroyed in one manner or another. I've visited castles in England, Scotland, France, Italy and the US and have found this castle to be a gem. Reasonably priced at Adults ( 6 Euro), Students (5) and school children (4), the castle can entertain and inform at each age level. To park a car during the season is (2 Euro). There are steps to the castle which are stepper but shorter then the paved inclined road. It's about a 10 minute walk for each option. A third option is walk through the town of Braubach. It has old world charm and there is a great cafe to stop for coffee and deserts. Walking through the town to the castle is about 20 minutes. No mater which option you choice the approach to the castle is steep so some people will need to stop and start along the way. Construction of the castle began in 1231 and the keep is the oldest part, The layout is triangular reflecting the Stauter Era Lords of Eppstein architectural choice, the original owners. The castle was expanded through the centuries and reflects different architectural periods up to the 16th century. Buy tickets on-line or at the café/souvenir shop. Tours are in German, English, French and Japanese. There are guide books in multiple languages. The castle can not be done by the disabled, no baby carriages are permitted but dogs are allowed. As you approach the castle you go through the first of four gates, the Drawbridge gate. The Fox gate is next and from there you can access the souvenir shop and buy tickets. The Notch Gate with it's balcony was used to hurl stones at invaders. Horse riders stairway is next. There you will find the coat of arms of all the owners. There is a battery with canons aimed at the Rhine. An herb garden of 150 plants with mandragora and simion, herbs used by witches were grown. A 17th century wine cellar, as well as, the Great Hall with a kitchen and dining area are fully equipped. The medieval toilet was interesting. The bed chamber had a canopied bed. The chapel tower has rare original ceiling and wall paintings. The armory which displays full size mannequins with armor from 600 BC to 1500 AD is one of the finest collections in Europe. There is also the Central Keep (1238), the dungeon, torture chamber, stables and castle forge. If you visit any castle, visit this one. There is a souvenir shop and castle inn which serves snacks, coffee, tea, soups, sausages, stews, cold drinks and ice cream. read more

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From the parking lot it is a hike up stairs to the castle signs point to where you buy tickets and where you meet for the tour. There are two English tours per day noon and 4pm We did the noon tour it was very crowded. You can take photos inside the castle unlike some of the other castles. Although out of all the castles we saw this was our least favorite. Cost € 6,00 Parking € 2,00 Open 10 -5 read more

Marksburg - Castle! - Museums Near Me - Braubach, RP

We hit this place as part of a Viking Rhine river cruise. Impressive from a distance, and only gets better the closer you get. After the first gate, you encounter the "Knights Stairway", carved out of rock where knights could at one time, ride their horse into the castle area. It was since filled in lower so that a rider on horse could not get thru as part of an attack. You pass under the "murder hole", where attackers might get boiling pitch poured on them from above. Imagine the damage from that! Then you see coats of arms on the wall showing what families owned the castle since 1283. Then there are cannons, two types: the really old ones from approx 1500 that are backloaded. Then, the more "modern" front loaders from sometime mid 1600's. You walk thru the gothic garden recreation that served as ingredients for cooking, medicine, etc. You pass thru a wine cellar, with bellows used to transfer wine from barrel to barrel. Then you see the gothic hall or kitchen and see hoe it was done in those days. Then the bedroom, the only room in the castle that was heated. Canopy bed, really tiny, and they slept kind of propped up to help them breathe better. All that smoke from fires I guess is rough on your lungs. You see a huge dining hall, ohh and there's an outhouse that hangs over the wall. Shit flows downhill, as we have all heard...the bathroom/outhouse could be locked from outside the room when not in use to keep out attackers because the room is a vulnerable spot.... There's a chapel room, very elegant. You also see a room of armour, not sure what the room was used for in real life. Finally, the old horse stable was turned into a display of medieval torture devices. Interesting tidbit I learned, the REAL use of the "chastity belt" was so a traveling woman could protect herself from rape. Wow, learn something new every day... This was the only castle along the Rhine that wasn't either conquered by invaders, or bombed during WW2. It is very cool and worth your time and money. read more

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