Cochem Castle in Rhineland-Palatinate by EuroTourData
Cochem Castle is the restored hilltop castle and the toll castle, and the imperial castle, built around 1100 in order to control the trade route of the Moselle River and collect duties from ships.
Image copyright info
© Creative Commons: Reichsburg, Cochem, Germany, author Corina Möller. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from original.
Cochem Castle history
In the 70s of the 11th century, the castle fell into the possession of the Archbishop of Cologne, Siegfried II of Westerburg. In 1282 King Rudolf I of Germany captured the castle after a short siege. The castle was greatly expanded and rebuilt in the 14th and 16th centuries. During the Franco-Dutch War in 1673, the castle was bombarded by French troops. During the Palatinate War of Succession, the castle was conquered on November 8, 1688 by French troops with heavy losses. In March 1689, the whole of Cochem was occupied by French troops, and the French commander ordered the destruction of the castle. On May 19, the castle was set on fire and blown up.
In 1868 the merchant Louis Fréderic Jacques Ravené bought the ruins and rebuilt them in the neo-Gothic style. Interior work in the castle continued until 1890. In 1978 the town of Cochem bought the castle and today it is operated by Reichsburg GmbH.
Source
The article Reichsburg Cochem of German Wikipedia.