Scenic Routes

Germany's romantic Castle Road between Mannheim and Prague winds its way through the picturesque scenery of the Neckar valley, Bavaria's Franconian Switzerland and the Fichtelgebirge mountains – and the route is teeming with castles and palaces.

Slide Show: Along Germany's romantic Castle Road - The fascination of days of old

One of Germany's most famous knights of old was Götz von Berlichingen. We have to assume however that his fame can be put down more to the fact that Goethe made him the title figure of one of his dramas, rather than to his ebullience and bravery.

At any rate the history books tell us that in the summer of 1504 the knight was hit by a cannonball at the siege of Landshut and lost his right hand, but that did not put an end to his fighting days. He had a new, artificial hand made out of iron, a sort of glove which he attached to the stump on his lower arm. It was fitted with cogs that enabled him to move the fingers. Legend has it that Götz – even with his iron hand – still had so much power wielding a sword that his opponents soon realised they had nothing to laugh about.

It is not only children who love stories about knights of old in their heavy, cumbersome armour and damsels in distress whose beauty and virtues were extolled by travelling minstrels. The mystical world of the Middle Ages casts its spell on people of all ages. What better place could there be then to immerse yourself in this world than behind the walls of a mediaeval castle.

Old ruins with a story to tell

The fascination emanating from the ruins of old castles that are steeped in history and legend was the stimulus that brought one of Germany's first tourist routes into being. On 10th March 1954 the cities of Mannheim, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Ansbach and Nuremberg set up their own project. It was a joint attempt to open up the holiday areas and beauty spots in and around the cities to tourism.

As the route between Mannheim and Nuremberg was lined with all kinds of castles and palaces, it did not take the people involved very long to decide on a name for the tourist route.– the German Castle Road. Incidentally the name came about on the initiative of the city of Heilbronn.

From 320 kilometres to 1,200 kilometres in 40 years

Kronach

Right from the start the road continually stretched further east. Over the years the original 320 kilometres was extended to about 1,200 kilometres. The first easterly extension was from Dürer's hometown of Nuremberg to Bayreuth, the hometown of Wagner, enhancing the road with the scenic region of Bavaria's Franconian Switzerland. This also added the impressive castles of Coburg, Kronach and Kulmbach to the route as well as the bishopric and imperial city of Bamberg that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993

The fall of the Iron Curtain at the beginning of the 1990's opened up a new international perspective for the German tourist route. No time was wasted – on its 40th anniversary the road ploughed through the national border and beyond into the Czech Republic. Today the Castle Road ends in the "Golden City" – Prague. Along the Czech part of the route you can take in the Teplá Monastery with its valuable library that was built in 1193, as well as the castle of Karlštejn that was erected by Charles IV in 1348.

Events and festivals all year round

Bad Wimpfen

Throughout the whole year there are events and festivals held all along the Castle Road. The large historical cities stage all kinds of large cultural events. The castles and palaces along the route try to outdo each other with open-air performances against a historical backdrop, mediaeval celebrations, garden festivals, jousting tournaments and traditional crafts markets.

Some of the better known examples of these events would be the open-air performances on the steps of St. Michael's in Schwäbisch Hall or the Castle Festival in Heidelberg. In Ansbach you can relive the impressive atmosphere of the 18th century by visiting the Rococo Festival. Every year at Whitsun/Pentecost the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber celebrates the historical "Master Draught" – in the year 1631 it is said that Mayor Nusch saved the town being occupied by drinking three litres of wine in one draught. And in the summer in Nuremberg there is the Bardentreffen – a singer-songwriter festival where both old and new tunes are aired.

A lot of the festivals along the Castle Road are devoted to culinary delights. For example in May the town of Schwetzingen stages its very own asparagus festival. In Kulmbach there is the famous Beer Week every summer where you can try the strongest beer in the world and autumn is reserved for the wine festivals in the Neckar valley. Anybody travelling along the Castle Road in winter will be able to take a stroll through the cosy, seasonal atmosphere at one of the many Christmas markets – the Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt, the Altdeutsche Weihnachtsmarkt in Bad Wimpfen or the Reiterlesmarkt in Rothenburg.

Knights of old and damsels in distress

You will find more than a hundred museums along the Castle Road. At the German Pharmacy Museum in Heidelberg Castle you will find out all you need to know about medicinal herbs and poisons. The Lace Museum in the central Franconian town of Abenberg shows its visitors how valuable lace used to be made. In Bayreuth you can visit Germany's only Freemasons' Museum and on the Plassenburg hill above Kulmbach you will find the German Museum of Pewter Figures.

At the castle of Guttenberg there is an exhibition that is particularly eloquent in the way it presents the life of knights of old and damsels in distress. Almost within sight of this castle is the castle of Hornberg. It was there that Götz von Berlichingen was placed under house arrest for 12 years for leading a peasants' revolt. And if you go to Götz's birthplace – the castle of Jagsthausen – you will be able to feast your eyes on his false hand made of iron.