Top 10 Castles around Ulmen

The Electoral Office Building in Daun is a historic building located on the basalt cone of an extinct volcano in the heart of the district town in the Volcanic Eifel region. Today, it is used as the Electoral Office Building Dauner Burg, a castle-hotel located at Burgfriedstraße 28. The site has a long history, dating back to 700 BC as a Celtic refuge and around 50 BC as a fortified Roman lookout. The actual Daun Castle, the ancestral seat of the Lords of Daun, was built towards the end of the 9th century. After the Thirty Years' War, the castle was destroyed in 1689 by troops of the French King Louis XIV. The current Office Building was built in 1712 by Charles Joseph, Elector of Trier and Duke of Lorraine, as a hunting lodge and official residence, after parts of the castle had been restored. This official residence housed the Electorate of Trier's bailiffs and official waiters, who administered the large Daun district as administrative officials of the Elector of Trier. The building complex also included the tithe barn, built in 1740, which served to store the delivered goods. After the end of the Electorate of Trier during the French Revolution in 1793 and the French occupation (1794–1815), the castle became Prussian state property. During this period, the official residence house was used, among other things, as the Royal Forestry Office and, for a time, even housed a prayer room for the Protestant congregation. The state of Rhineland-Palatinate assumed sovereignty in 1948, until the city of Daun became owner of the castle in 1957. In 1978, the official residence house became private property. Between 1979 and 1981, the castle was expanded and extended into what is now the Schloss-Hotel Kurfürstliches Amtshaus, a first-class hotel that houses, among other things, a remarkable clock collection. The hotel offers its guests a combination of historic furnishings and modern comforts, as well as a wellness oasis with a pool and saunas.

The lower castle has completely disappeared. You can still see the beginning of the ring that connected the lower castle and the Ulmen city wall, a two-story outer wall of the palace, as well as a cistern and some foundation walls of other buildings. The old part of Ulmen Castle was built around 1074 AD and likely rests on the remains of a Roman settlement. In the Middle Ages, Ulmen Castle was further expanded and divided into the upper castle, whose remains of the walls still exist, and the lower castle, which extended to the banks of the maar river. Two knightly families lived in the castle, which is believed to have never been attacked or destroyed until 1673 due to its size. Only the Sun King's troops succeeded. It was rebuilt, but fell again in 1689 during the War of the Succession. However, Ulmen Castle was also rebuilt this time, with only the city wall being abandoned. With the invasion of Napoleon's soldiers, Ulmen also became French and later Prussian. The empty castle, whose last descendant died in 1801, was auctioned to a merchant from Cochem, who sold it as a quarry. When a devastating fire burned Ulmen to the ground in the 19th century, the residents of Ulmen rebuilt their houses with stones from the castle. That's why you can still see a coat of arms on some of the stables today. It wasn't until the early twentieth century that Ulmen Castle was declared a listed building and became the property of the municipality of Ulmen. The castle is always freely accessible.

High atop Pinnerberg Mountain stands the Pinner Cross, a vantage point offering a magnificent view of the Moselle Valley. Its name comes from a shepherd who, while saving one of his lost animals from a fall, lost his life in the process. The cross was erected in his memory. The view of the town of Cochem with its Reichsburg Castle and the entire Moselle loop is impressive.

The cross is approximately 18 meters high and consists of a cross spire, a shaft, and a base. High up on the Pinnerberg, which is easily accessible by the Cochem chairlift, stands the Pinner Cross, a vantage point with a magnificent view of the Moselle Valley. The name goes back to a shepherd who tried to save one of his lost animals from falling and lost his life in the process. The cross was erected in his memory. Source: https://cochem.de/thema/pinnerkreuz/

View of Cochem from the Winneburg ruins

Fantastic view of the Moselle valley with Cochem and the Reichsburg.

Beautiful view over the city of Cochem. From here there are a few seats to enjoy this!

Great ruins with a beautiful view to linger and rest.