Cochem and Reichsburg
A castle blown up in 1689 and rebuilt from ruins in the 1870s by a Berlin businessman as a summer house.
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The Reichsburg stands about a hundred metres above Cochem on a cone in a bend of the Moselle. French troops destroyed it in 1689 during the Nine Years' War and it lay ruined for nearly two centuries until Louis Ravené, a Berlin businessman, bought it in 1868 and rebuilt it in the neo-Gothic manner as a summer residence, finished in 1877; the town bought it in 1978. Vineyards climb the slopes around, and the Calmont nearby is among the steepest vineyards in Europe with gradients over sixty degrees. A chairlift climbs from the town to the Pinnerkreuz viewpoint.
What you actually see
- The rebuilt castle - a neo-Gothic reconstruction of 1868 to 1877.
- The Moselle bend - the river looping below the castle cone.
- The Calmont slopes - some of Europe's steepest vineyards nearby.
- The chairlift - a lift to the Pinnerkreuz above the town.
When to go
April to October; the castle closes in winter apart from limited dates. Interiors are guided-only. Wine festivals fill the town in late summer.
Honest expectations
Almost everything is nineteenth-century rebuilding, not medieval fabric. Entry is guided-only. The town is crowded with river cruise groups.
Nearby
Bernkastel-Kues lies upriver; Koblenz is downstream.
What to pack for Cochem and Reichsburg
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
