
Marksburg castle entry
I think I took this photo at the Marksburg castle in Germany. At least it was in the Marksburg section of my photos, one of the few documented areas in the trip album. LOL If I remember correctly, this particular castle was one of the few that escaped damage from Napoleon’s cannons because its hillside location was just out of range.
We went on a castle tour and it was fun to get the scale of higher class living in the middle ages. The interior was much smaller than I imagined it would be but that is probably due to all of the medieval castle movies I have seen. It actually was quite beautiful inside the living areas. The furniture was small and somewhat sparse but the fabrics pretty. The rooms seemed to be very close together and more intimate than I imagined they would be. I suspect that might be due to considerations for warmth in the winter. I do remember the “indoor plumbing” was a cold little room that had an open air bottom under the bench seat. That must have been a bit chilly in winter weather. There was a small towered area with very limited access which I can’t remember whether it was a safe area for the family or a prisoner tower.
I think this might be the main entryway into the castle, where the horsemen and wagons came in. Stables were off to the side of the interior courtyard, as was a prisoner area. Other than that, I don’t remember a great deal. I wish I had taken more interior shots to jog my memory.
As a souvenir, we brought back a small reproduction sword in the luggage. The German screeners got quite the chuckle over that. I’m sure they were thinking “American tourists”.