Castle of Hohenzollern

by MelanieViljoen

Dominating the little town of Hechingen is the magnificent Hohenzollern castle. As you see the profile of the castle you are reminded of a seen out of a fairytale. The castle was first built in the 14th century and has been rebuilt and updated several times since then. The castle is the private property of the Hohenzollern family. Our bus takes us to the foot of the hill of the castle. As we get out of the bus it is snowing gently and we begin our walk up to the castle. The outside is truly impressive. The building is quite gothic looking and around the outside of the castle are statues in memorial of the heads of the family. There are also two chapels within the castle walls. The one chapel boasts with the oldest stained glass windows in Eastern Europe.

We are taken on a guide of the inside of the castle. The chandeliers, wooden floors (cherry, mahogany, acorn and oak wood) and marble and gold finishing add to the grandeur of the huge, cold and imposing building.

I am amazed by the death mask of the soldier king. I really never knew that they made molds from dead peoples faces! We also had a look at the treasury with the most beautiful dress, the crown, precious snuff boxes etc. After the tour we light torches and walk down the hill back to the bus with our torches blazing against the snowy, dark background; truly a magical experience that I'll never forget!!!