Top 10 Romantic Castles - Trendelburg - Rapunzel's Castle

Well, it's almost Valentine's Day - so Days of Yore Travel would like to present you with the Top 10 Romantic Castles you can stay in. Here's our Second Choice:

No. 2 Rapunzel’s Castle – Trendelburg

Trendelburg - The Real Rapunzel Castle

The Trendelburg Castle was built in 1300, near the city of Kassel. Purportedly this is the real McCoy – the original true Rapunzel Castle right out of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

In reality, it was built by Conrad III von Schöneberg, to secure the road between Kassel and Bremen. Like Sababurg, it’s located on the Fairy Tale Road, on the other side of Reinhard’s Forest.

The impressive 125 foot high “Rapunzel” tower was added after the castle burned down in 1456. The Grimm Brothers added Rapunzel (the German word for lamb’s lettuce) to their collection of fairy tales, after a woman from this area told them the handed-down medieval tale of Sleeping Beauty in 1810. The forest surrounding (Reinhardswald) is full of so many old trees, you will believe it’s haunted.

Unlike in the fairy tale, the castle played a strategic role in the Thirty Years’ War, and was destroyed by General Tilly’s Croatian soldiers. It wasn’t until 1996 that it was finally purchased by an investment company and finally restored, making it one of the most romantic castle hotels in Europe.

Romantic Castle Chambers

The rooms all have “castle chamber” décor, especially for romantic couples in mind. The hotel gives special attention to details like rose petals in the bath, and bedding arranged with a romantic flair. Naturally, four-posted canopy beds at the crowning touch to this romantic castle hotel. 

This hotel is perfect for people who want the fairy tale experience with romance, comfort and luxury. Here’s a sample of one of the specials they have at Rapunzel’s castle:

• 2 overnights in one of the fairy tale rooms
• Royal castle lord‘s breakfast
• They welcome you with the heavenly smell and taste home-baked muffins
• Fluffy bath-robe and comfortable slippers
• Aroma bath in your fairy bath in your chambers
• A fairy tale heavenly relaxing massage (25 minutes)
• 3-course dinner with an "enchanted" main entry
• 5-course dinner in "magical" candle-light for romantics
• An enchanting day in the land of fairy tales is awaiting for your discover
• You can arrive as of 12:00 pm (upon request)
• You can take a late check-out up until 4:00 pm (upon request)
• Free parking in front of the castle

Dine like Kings & Queens

Couple price for a double room including bathtub -
Starting at 496 €    

 Extras (per couple) :   

• Four-posted canopy bed or residence in the tower    € 40,00
• Honeymoon Suite       € 80,00
• Residence in the Royal Suite    € 120,00

Spoil yourself like a real Princess or Prince

And for super-romantics, they have more extras:

• A temperate sauna (150°F) for cold winter days – 30 €/hr/couple – private use: 75 €/hr/couple.
• Pamper yourself in their “Princess Mouse Skin” Salt Room (24 € /hr /couple)
• Relaxing massages starting at 35 € / person, or hot stone massages 75 € / person.

Castle servents awaiting your commands, See Rapunzel let down her hair, or haunted Reinhart's Forest

Naturally, no romantic trip to this castle would be complete without a castle event, such as fairy tale reenactments, feast for the knights, or a trip to the haunted Reinhart's forest or the nearby Tierpark, which has many of the legendary animals right out of fairy tales.

Sound irresistibly romantic? To find out more, send an email to Days of Yore Travel,
or the Trendelburg Hotel at: info@burg-hotel-trendelburg.com

Address:
Burg Hotel Trendelburg
Steinweg 1
34388 Trendelburg
Germany
Telefon +49 (0)56 75 - 90 90
Telefax +49 (0)56 75 -93 62
Website: http://www.burg-hotel-trendelburg.com/en/

Don't Miss These Other Romantic Castles:

No. 1 - Sababurg - Sleeping Beauty's Castle

 

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Learning to Make a Real Celtic or Medieval Bow

Learning to choose exactly the right kind of
wood for a bow at Ronneburg Bogenbau

 Anybody can buy or mail-order a sword from an online replica shop. They're nice, but somehow all the same. But, if you want to go back in time, and get the "real" Celtic/Medieval feeling about making one of the most deadly and precise weapons of all time, there is nothing better than learning how make an original bow from an Expert.

Meet Nico Veggiato - a Bowyer (Bow Maker) & Fletcher (Arrow Maker), who preserves the age-old traditions. 

Whether you want to make a European prehistoric hunting bow, a Celtic warrior bow, or a medieval army bow, Nico and his team of experts can teach you - not only how to cut, plane and sand a single piece of wood into an authenic period bow - but also show you how to make authentic arrow tips, how to notch arrows, and how to attach cut and attach feathers to them.

Nico's seminars take place in authentic surroundings - in the medieval castle of Ronneburg (built in 1231), just outside of Frankfurt am Main. 

In just two days, you'll learn:

• How to select the perfect wood
• How to shape a bow
• How to braid a bowstring
• How an arrow shaft is constructed
• How to fletch (attach feathers to an arrow)
• How to make arrow heads and attach them
• How to shoot your new bow

If you would like more information about participating in bow-making seminars, write to us at Days of Yore Travel, or visit the Ronneburg Bogenbau website.

Here's where you get the real medieval experience in experimental archaeology - making the same kind of bow that once defended the castle walls you make your bow in.

This is where you can find their tentative calendar for Bowyer seminars.

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Learn All About Making Knights' Armor - Up Close

One of the things Days of Yore Travel does is to take you up close to the Middle Ages. Instead of touring a museum and staring at suits of armor behind glass cases, you can meet an artisan smith and watch him create real armor, just like in the Middle Ages. Meet Peter Müller from the Plattnerwerkstatt in Orschweier. He is one of the last people in Europe who smiths suits of armor exactly like they did in the Middle Ages. In a group you can tour his workshop to watch how flat sheets of metal were turned into knights’ helmets with visors.

Peter Müller not only gives courses in how to become a armory blacksmith, but also has written a number of expertise books in German on the subject, and will be happy to take on your custom order for any kind of body armor from the 1st through the 17th centuries - whether you want it for Re-enactment, Living History, Renaissance Faires, Larp or as an impressive heirloom to have in your home.

What’s the name of this place?
Plattenwerkstatt in Orschweier in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
 
What is it?
An authentic armory blacksmith workshop.

What will I see here?
How suits of armor are made by an expert.

Can I buy real knight’s armor here?
Yes, you can! Custom-made to fit your body.

Will he show me how to make something?
Yes, he will.

Can I learn to be a real Middle Ages Armory Blacksmith?
Well, it’s not something you can learn in a one-day tour, but he’s willing train you in a separate course if you like.

How can I get in touch with these people?
You can write them an e-mail here.

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Learn All About Knights' Armour From an Expert

Meet Friedrich Trier from the Wihelmshöhe Castle in Kassel. Friedrich is an expert in medieval armour care and restauration. He holds seminars about how armour is cared for and repaired. But he also demonstrates how it was worn and protected people.

Hands on experience with experts. Real armour that was worn into battle. Come experience Days of Yore Travel.

http://www.museum-kassel.de/en/index_navi.php?parent=8603

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Sailing Aboard a Real Medieval Ship

What would it be like to sail an original 14th century ship? Imagine you as part of the crew aboard a real medieval Cog ship, right out of the Middle Ages, sailing on the Baltic Sea!

Days of Yore Travel is all about experiential travel into the past – we don’t just take a walk-through tour of a historic ship; we take a voyage on it.

Come aboard the Wissemara, pride and joy of the Poeler Cog Club, and experience first-hand what life on a medieval merchant vessel was like. This is no ordinary passenger cruise, but a real hands-on learning experience. On the Wissemara the crew will so you how to set the sail, how medieval vessels were navigated, medieval seamanship and even shoot the ship’s own swivel gun. You can take a cruise to visit medieval castles or to a Hanse League town to learn how goods were traded in the Middle Ages.

This kind of experience will make your next trip to Europe a real adventure – because you become a part of living history when you travel into the past and experience yourself.

Where do you find them?
In the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Hanse League Town of Wismar, Germany

When can I take a trip?
From April through October. This is their tentative schedule. (2015 Schedule will be posted soon.)


Can I arrange to take my own group?
Yes. They're willing to offer you a tailor-made trip for your group, and arrange for an English-speaking tour guide. They will take groups of up to 60 people.  For more information, please send your questions or inquiries to Days of Yore Travel for details.

Can I take my kids?
Yes, or your retired parents if you like. This kind of trip is for people of all ages.





This is a medieval ship - is it really safe?
Yes, even though it's a geniune replica of a real medieval Cog, it must to conform to modern-day German passenger ship standards, which are some of the toughest safety standards in the world. That means it must have state-of-the-art safety and rescue equipment on board.

We're a Living History/Reenactment Enthusiasts. Can our group do a trip in costume?
You most certainly can! This would make your experience even more authentic. The crew of the Wissemara are Living History enthusiasts, too. Who knows? You might even end up on German television that day.

What kind of accomodations do they have on board?
This is ship is designed for day cruises, so there are no cabins on board. But they do have a nice dining salon below deck for your group lunch or dinner. 




Can I do this alone?
Yes. They have regular scheduled trips, which you can book as an individual person, but it's unlikely your guide will speak English.

How can I get in touch with the Poeler Cog Club?
You can send them an email here.

Do they speak English?
That's no problem. If you're worried about receiving correspondence in English, you can have it translated for free for you by sending it to Days of Yore Travel.

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Mespelbrunn - Home to Snow White?

Married in love and to God true, 

Brings happiness and blessings without rue, 

With hard work and care of God’s own, 

We have made this good house our home.

This is what is carved in stone over the doorway of this beautiful castle in the Spessart. It was a reward to Sir Hamann Echter from the Archbishop of Mainz for his faithful services as Master Woodsman.

Wait.. wasn’t it a Woodsman who was supposed to kill Snow White, but couldn’t bring himself to do it? Hmmm…. The legend of Snow White originated from this place in the Spessart, not 5 miles from this very castle. I’m sure the Grimm Brothers were inside it, too.

Doesn’t look like the place that Prince Charming would “live happily ever after” with Snow White? The castle is real. Sir Hamann Echter was real. He raised ten children in this house.
Now, who wants to come look inside? Days of Yore Travel - We Take You There.

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Live a Day in the Tannenburg Living Castle

Don’t you wish you could travel back into time and experience what life in a castle was really like? Now you can! Your tour group can spend the day (exclusively) at Tannenburg Castle and turn back the pages of time. Whether you enjoy a sumptuous meal fit for a King or learn about work in a 14th century castle, there is something of fascinating interest for everyone. Tannenburg Castle is different from other castles you might visit in Europe, because it’s a “Living Castle”. Once you pass the castle gates, you’ll be transported direct in the Middle Ages. You’ll be mustered by gate guards, see knights practice fencing, and watch peasants and craftsmen go about their daily work. Later in the Great Hall, you be served by servants and entertained by troubadours. This isn't a do-not-touch tour down roped-off aisles, but a hands-on experience inside a real living castle, exclusively for the tour group. Here you can take a meal just like in the 14th century, stand ring-side at a sword fight, feel the heat of the metal being hammered by the blacksmith, or even get your hands dirty plastering half-timbered walls. All part of Days of Yore Travel.

More fanstastic photos on the Tannenburg Castle Website

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Experiencing Medieval Power

As plain and simple as this throne is, there is something almost magical about it. Everyone who touches it can sense the spark of medieval power.Charlemagne's Throne is one of Europe's oldest thrones - older than Edward's Chair in Westminister Abbey. Unlike King Edward's Chair, which is unaproachable to the public, you can get up close to Charlemagne's Throne - let your hand glide over the marble that was carried all the way from Jerusalem to this cathedral in Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle).

A curious throne, because unlike King Edward's Chair, there are no fancy ornaments, precious jewels or gold. Not that they were destroyed or stolen. It was built like this on purpose. Yes, the coronation chair in which 31 German Kings were crowned Holy Roman Emperors is missing that expected pomp and glory. At least until you find out that this throne wasn't built for Charlemagne. He didn't rule here. It was built for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The marble throne is allegedly made from the steps of Pilate's Palace, where Jesus dribbled blood all over his floor after being tortured. But more even mystery! You can still see the faint traces of not only Christian graffitti, but pagan as well. On the right side of the chair, you can obviously see the outline for a Nine Men's Morris game. 

The throne is authentic. The original wooden construction under it carbon-dates back to the 9th Century. While it's debateable if the marble really was from Pilate's Palace - the marble is really all the way from Jerusalem. Even the floor paving under the throne is original 9th Century. The throne even had a secret compartment which once housed Saint Stephan's Purse (now located in Vienna). The arch underneath the throne was for royal subjects to crawl through, to demonstrate their fealty to the newly crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Would would it feel like to be crowned on this throne? In the sobre atmosphere of this ancient cathedral and its stainglass windows? Come experience medieval power and travel back to the Days of Yore. 

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What was prostitution like in the Middle Ages?

Really want to find out about the nitty-gritty details? Then take a tour of Gelnhausen with the "High Maid from the High Market", and the "Low Maid from the Low Market" to find out all about medieval bath houses, bathers, prostitution and how the church accepted it, and health & hygiene at the height of Holy Roman Empire.

Careful though! The ladies of the evening will try to seduce fair maidens into a medieval career as a "bath attendent", and good sirs into spending time in a medieval bathhouse with song, wine and women.

This tour is appropriate for guests above the age of 16.


Price: 10 Euro per person

More info on the Gelnhausen website

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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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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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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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