Cochem Castle, A Medieval Wonderland

‘Tis the season for festivals every weekend in Germany (aka Summer)! As I mentioned last year (in this post), I am pretty obsessed with Renaissance Faires….or Medieval Festival’s as they are called in Germany. No, I am never going to “work” in a faire but there is something about them that is just so fun (& funny) to me, plus the nostalgia of always going to them growing up.

Last year I went to a massive festival in a large fairground, like you would see in the States but this year we went to a much smaller one…but at a freaking castle. NBD.

Yes, that is the same corset I bought at a Renaissance Festival when I was 15 years old, and yes I got 1 Euro off my ticket for dressing up! No shame in my medieval game.

Cochem Castle

Cochem Castle was originally built around 1000 (so well within the Medieval period) and survived until the mid 1600’s when the French burned it, and most of the city to the ground. I mean, they literally burned it and THEN blew it up. Rude!

A business man bought it in the 1800s (um, talk about the definition of boujie?) and rebuilt it, although he had it rebuilt in more of the Gothic style and what was deemed “romantic” by nobility at the time. I’m not complaining, the castle is stunning and exactly what you hope a castle would look like but it is a bit sad we can’t see how it was meant to look over 1000 years ago.

Now the castle is owned by the city of Cochem and is a large tourist attraction. They do a good job of it though. The castle is filled with Baroque and Renaissance-era furniture and decor, so still quite old and historical, just not as old and historical as it would be if the French hadn’t blown it up.

The tour is in German but they give you a piece of paper in English that can explain some of the rooms and details and Google can fill you in the rest of the way. The town of Cochem is charming too and perfect for an evening along the Mosel.