Walk with me - Castle Hohenklingen

Today I would like to take you to the charming castle Hohenklingen that is towering above the medieval town Stein am Rhein in Switzerland.

Let's go!

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I came by car but if you prefer you can walk up the hill from Stein am Rhein to the castle. The route is 3 km long and it should take you around 1 hour to walk up.

The castle dates to 1200 when a residential tower was built on the site of the present castle by Walter von Klingen. It is assumed that there was a wooden tower even before 1200.

The castle was originally the seat of the monastery St. Georgen. After various changes of ownership, the castle came in the possession of Stein am Rhein in 1457.

In the 17th century the castle played an important role as a military fortification. Additional security and support teams were transferred to the castle.

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The construction of the castle continued over centuries until it reached its current form at the beginning of the 18th century.

The complete renovation of the castle was undertaken at the end of the 19th century. The last extensive restoration was completed in 2007.

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There is a path around the castle and we will walk there before we enter the building.

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It's a very easy relaxing walk with nice views. It's usually crowded but I came very early and I only met two other people on the way. Actually, I had to walk around the castle as it was not yet open.

I've seen a couple of squirrels and lizards but I'm bad with animal photography and they usually don't wait for me until I'm ready to take a photo 😊

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It doesn't take long to walk around the castle.

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This path will take us to the stairs leading us inside of the castle. It's open already!

The castle Hohenklingen was never destroyed and it still corresponds to its medieval appearance. It is the best preserved castled in the area of Lake Constance.

There are different floors in the castle. We will walk through the Lower bastion - Unterer Wehrgang to get to the Upper bastion - Oberer Wehrgang.

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The Upper bastion is made entirely out of wood. We will walk through this area to get to the terrace and from there to the tower.

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There is a chic restaurant that is usually fully booked for lunch. Who wouldn't like to eat with such views?

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We are now looking directly at Stein am Rhein. I will take you for a tour there next time.

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From here you can take a boat to either Lake Constance or Schaffhausen. These trips are popular because of the spectacular views and crystal clear water.

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The tower is 20 meters high and it's split into three floors.

The first floor was used as kitchen. There is also a cool storage room without windows. Nowadays there is a bronze statue placed in this room. It is called 'Das Gesicht' (The face) and it's created by Rudolf Blatter. The sculpture is hidden in darkness and you need to wait for 5 to 10 minutes to see the eyes and the mouth popping out in front of you. However not everyone will see it. It looks like the sculpture has its own will. You might be lucky or not. I've been there several times, but I've seen the sculpture only once. It comes and disappears again. It is a perfect example of playing with light.

The second floor was used as living room. There is a chimney which suggests a heater. This gave the room a touch of comfort in cold days.

The third floor offers amazing views. It was used as bedroom.

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There is a remaining cannon placed in the tower.

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After I enjoyed the views I walked back down to the main castle. There is a small museum showing the construction of the castle and some artifacts found in the area.

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Take a peek into this room through a small window in the museum. It is very dark to give you a feeling how much light was coming in the room in the past.

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In the middle of the courtyard is a well. It's not used anymore. You can enter a small chapel through the door on the left side. It's an empty space with a few chair. Nowadays it's used for weddings.

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From the courtyard you can see a bridge connecting the museum with the restaurant and the tower.

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This is where we will end our tour today.

There are a few more rooms in the castle used for various celebrations. My former employer organized a Christmas dinner there a few years ago. It was such an interesting experience. The owners of the castle prepared a medieval performance for us and we were served by waiters dressed as medieval people.

I hope you have enjoyed our walk today. I really like visiting such well preserved and maintained castles. And the best part is that it is for free! 😊

If you ever happen to be in Switzerland, please make sure to spend a day in this area. It is absolutely worth a visit!

Before I go home I will enjoy a cup of coffee at my favorite cafe in Stein am Rhein. There is no 'photo of me taking photos' today as I was alone.

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All pictures are taken by my Nikon D3200 AF-S NIKKOR 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 G II (except of the ones indicated in the text)

Thank you for reading!

Cheers,
Martina

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