Visiting R 69 3
Cadolzburg has been one of those very nice surprises that I would have never experienced if not for going square by square. The village has a castle with a great museum and a very informative route through the very charming town. No, this is not some kind of incentivized advertising. I just loved the stay.
Cadolzburg Castle
Cadolzburg Castle dates back to the 13th century. This impressive fortress was once a pivotal residence of the powerful Hohenzollern family, playing a significant role in the region’s medieval history.
During the very last days of World War II the castle caught fire when there was still heavy fighting in the area. Everything above the second floor was destroyed. However, the ruins remained and in 1982 reconstruction began.
Reconstruction – but differently
Obviously when rebuilding something the question is how you do it. There might not be pictures from every room, typically they are black and white, over the years walls have been painted without acknowledging history. So, it is hard to figure out how some of the rooms might have looked like.
Instead of just rebuilding something in an idealized way they decided to take a different route. Not every room is “finished”. Some of the show what colors might have been possible. Some of them show how the reconstruction started before they found out that this was not the actual way the room did look like, and they left it deliberately unfinished. Some of them they didn’t even start to reconstruct.
I like this approach. It gives you a lot more insights about the thoughts that go into reconstruction.
Deeper understanding
Museums can be boring. Or they can be like this one. It gives a lot of illustrative material that I have never seen anywhere else. E.g., how layers of different material made up beds (“mattress”, sheets) for different classes.
And they not only tell you about how the smells were in the past. They literally spread the smell with machines. In the kitchen you can smell food, in the great hall it is roses.
When I walked around the castle (before visiting the museum) I had a nice view. The only thing that bothered me were colorful signs in the middle of the meadow and I couldn’t figure out why somebody would place them there.
While being up in the castle I got to know that this represents the shooting range of different weapons at that time. Every sign indicates 100m. For example, the first one in the bushes is the range of a crossbow.
Take a walk around
They try to inform tourists as much as possible in this place. Not only do they have the castle but they also have a circular path you can follow.
On the wall of the lutheran Markgrafenkirche St. Cäcilia you can still see the grenade impacts from World War II. The left them there as a reminder of the war.
In some places below the castle, you can still see that there used to be more buildings around.
Instead of having a way of the cross you will find small sculptures across town with lines from the bible. I consider this to be an interesting thought-provoking approach.
“The pencil”
Tourism has always been a topic in the area. In 1892 the railroad got extended and to support more tourism they thought a lookout tower would be a good idea. So, on top of a hill they erected a 25-meter-high tower one year later. Even though it looks a little like the castle with its neo-Gothic architecture it is much younger.
Due to its shape the locals refer to it as “the pencil”.
It offers a great 360° view (after you climbed the stairs).
Some travel tips (from 2023)
- Right next to the old town there is a free RV parking space for at least 20 RVs. Electricty is available, though you might need a long cable.
- Don’t miss out on the museum in the castle and take your time.