Reichsburg Cochem

Reichsburg Cochem crowns a 154-metre hilltop above the Moselle town of Cochem and ranks among the most imposing hilltop castles in the Rhineland. The original medieval fortress was blown up by French troops during the War of the Grand Alliance in 1689 and lay in ruins for nearly two centuries, until Berlin merchant Louis Ravené purchased it in 1868 and commissioned a thorough neo-Gothic reconstruction — a quintessential expression of the Wilhelmine era's romantic enthusiasm for the Middle Ages. Guided tours lead visitors through reconstructed knight's halls, weapon collections, and period-furnished chambers. From the castle courtyard, sweeping views unfold over the Moselle valley and surrounding vineyards, rewarding the steep climb up through Cochem's old town.