The Iron Maiden of the Dark Ages

The Original Iron Maiden of Nuremberg

The Dark Ages. That period in history that sends a tingle of fright down our spines with its tales of horror; of how people were punished and tortured. Paradoxically the more barbaric it was, the more fascinating people find it – particularly when it comes to separating what Hollywood shows us, and what really happened.

The Kriminalmuseum in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a wonderfully preserved medieval town in Bavaria, has a museum with one of the largest collections of punishment and torture devices in Europe. Here you will find, like in the photograph above, the original Iron Maiden.

Days of Yore Travel can take you here to see all of the things that were commonplace in dark medieval dungeons, and give you a more accurate picture what law and order were like in everyday medieval life in the Holy Roman Empire, including a accompanying the Night Watchman on his walk around the tower walls.

If you want the real dark medieval experience, please write to us here at Days of Yore Travel. 

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You? An Archaeologist While on Vacation?

How do you become a leading archaeologist without having a university degree in archaeology?

Meet Horst Klötzer, a retired industrial lathe factory operator from Hagen, Germany. He became one out of passion. His qualifications are a burning interest in history and archaeology and a treasure hunter’s instinct. The passionate pensioner is responsible alone for about 15% of all the artifacts on display on the Museum of Ancient History in Hagen.

How could he just go out and do it, without any special knowledge or training? And can just anybody call themselves an archaeologist?

While it’s true that Horst in no academic archaeologist, he is a recognized “archaeological enthusiast” by Ralf Blank, the Regional Museum Director for Science, History and Archives in Hagen, who speaks of Horst in the highest praises. “Horst is one of kind, and we need more people like him.”

Really? So just anybody could go out and find things like Horst did, including rare Celtic coins, Bronze Age axes, rare arrow heads, amber pearls, not to mention an entire area of long-lost castle ruins that has escaped academic archaeologist for decades?

Well, yes you can. The pre-requisites are, of course that you share the same passion for history that Horst does, and you have to follow some simple rules, such as accepting the fact the things you find don’t really belong to you, but in part to every person after you who will stand behind the glass in a museum and stare in awe and wonder at the thing you were the first person to rediscover.

Being an archaeologist like Horst Klötzer in Germany can be part of your chance to discover something no person has ever seen before. You can be the person who digs up something new that will make scientists decide that the history books have to be revised again. You could be the next person that finds the one thing that people will one day travel half around the planet to look at through glass or by guided tour.

If you would like to find out how, write to us as Days of Yore Travel for more information on how to become this kind of experiential traveler.       

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The Mysterious Regenstein Castle

Some places just radiate an almost tangible mystery about them. The ruins of the Regenstein Castle are like that. The castle was once home of the Blankenburg Dynasty, but was lost in a feud in the High Middle Age. But today you can still see the impressive ghostly ruins which show how stately this place must have been. 

Regenstein Castle was made of Days of Yore Explorers. This place was not only the residence of a noble dynasty, but also a place to explore folklore and ghost tales, as well as an anceint sacred site of Neolithic peoples. If you would like to find out more about Regenstein Castle, please write us at Days of Yore Travel.

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The Danube White Cliff Narrows

Here's a quick peek at the impressive White Cliff Narrows on the Danube River. If you would like to find out more about cruising along the Danube and see this, please write us at Days of Yore Travel.

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Magical Danube River

View of the white cliffs on the Danube River from the Weltenburg Monastery

There are still some places you can go in the world that are truly magical. You know you’re living in the 21st century, but for just a moment you feel like you’ve been transported through a time portal, and you’re looking at the world they way it looked 5,000 years ago.

There is place like this on the Danube River, called the “Donaudurchbruch”. You round a bend and see these magnificent white cliffs, the quiet, sparkling blue waters of that eternal European river, and can you feel the spark of magic leap across. A place that will send shivers down your spine when you hear the eerie echoes of from the cliffs.

This section of the Danube River has a lot to offer for the Days of Yore experiential traveler. Whether you’d like to experience it on the comfort of a modern cruise ship, or paddling boats down the Danube like they did 5,000 years ago, or taking a guided hiking tour with Druid teaching you the ancient lore of magical herbs, this place has lots to offer and is a must-see for the experiential time traveler. If you’d like to find out more about this magical place, please write us here at Days of Yore Travel.

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What Does a Real Medieval Castle Look Like?

Wartburg Castle from the west side

Many people get a picture of grey stone walls, round rook towers, a draw-bridge and moat in their mind’s eye. Closer to the truth is that most medieval castles are a hodge-podge of different architectural styles and periods, accumulated from each generation adding their own designs onto the castle. Real medieval castles are often a recording of time and technology, revealing the changes and advances in the military castle strategy, which evolved from primitive round towers with simple walls into complex keeps with several lines of defense.

The Wartburg Castle, known as the “most German of all castles”, is a typical example of the evolution of the medieval castle. Founded in the High Middle Age, it has survived more than a millennium and reflects all the architectural styles of the centuries of generations who called in home. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Culture Sight this true medieval castle waiting to be discovered by you.

But Days of Yore Travel doesn’t just want to show you this castle. We want to help you re-live the medieval experience. Come with us and re-live the original Sängerkrieg, the minstrel duel between the legendary medieval poets Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach – two courtly minstrels who brought chivalry and courtly manners into castles, preserved through Wagner’s Opera Tannhäuser. If you would like to relive the 13th century duel of who the better courtly minstrel was, please write to us about travelling back into the Days of Yore.

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Porta Nigra - The Black Gate

Porta Nigra - The Black Gate at night

It's hard to imagine long ago there once was a large and impressive Roman city in Germany, but that's what Trier or Augustus Trevori was - Emperor Augustus' city in the land of the Celtic clan of the Trevori. This ancient metropole on the Mosel river has an entire program of interactive re-discovery about this magnificent gate along with the other Roman sites to see. It received its name from the locals, because the grey sandstone oxidizes and turns naturally black - hence the name Porta Nigra or the 'Black Gate'

If you are looking for an authentic 'Roman Holiday' - not just seeing this magnificent monument of Roman architecture, but an in-depth experience with living history, please write to us for more information about Days of Yore Travel. 

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Discover Ancient Celtic Gold

Solid gold bead of a 14-year-old Celtic princess

Discover the ancient golden treasure of a fourteen-year-old Celtic princess. Her life was not long, but she left behind some of the most precious finds in Celtic craftsmanship gold ever unearthed. Here in Heuneburg - Heredotus' legendary lost city of Pyrene - you can discover how ancient Celts were anything but "barbarians" as the Romans called them. Here in the oldest kingdom in Europe.

If you're looking to discover the ancient gold of the Celtics, Days of Yore Travel can take you there. 

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The Magic of the Celtic World of Glauberg

Glauberg is a magical place - the site of an ancient Celtic burial ground. Come feel the magic of Glauberg and re-discovered its ancient secrets.



How would you like to experience the magic of ancient Celtic lore? Not just see it, but live it?
Write to us if you want to travel back in time to the Days of Yore.

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How cool would it be to see inside a real Roman fort?

This is the main entry gate to the Saalburg Roman fortress.

This is the main gate of a real ancient Roman fort on the ancient frontier of Germania, from back in the days where only a picket wall separated the Germanic barbarians from Roman civilization; a fort just like you would expect to see in the film “Gladiator”. Except this is no Hollywood backdrop. It’s the real thing and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, just a few miles outside the City of Frankfurt.

How would you like to see how real Romans lived? Maybe learn how to swing a gladius sword? Or throw a pilum spear? Or how about dining in Roman style? With Days of Yore Travel we can take you back in time to experience what life was like living on the Roman frontier. If you would like to experience the true Roman feeling, send us an email for more information. 

Photo courtesy of Carsten Gurk © 2009. All rights reserved. Used by permission.     

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