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Why You Shouldn't Bother Watching "Sisi", the New TV Series By RTL

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Hi there! I watched a series today that was so bad it made be write the first blog post in one and a half years. Will I write more again in the future? I don't know, I guess we'll see. In the meantime, follow all my latest castle adventures over on Instagram . See you there! Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the immortal Sisi, has inspired the imagination of the people for more than a century now. Her life, her love, her tragedies, her death. Adored, free spirited and one of the original royal IT girls. A face that could launch a thousands ships, well, bring peace to two feuding nations by simply being her charming self. A woman that, 120 years after her death, can still draw crowds and be the foundation stone of what seems like half the tourist industry of several regions. (Okay, that might have been slightly exaggerated but have you ever been to Vienna and seen the souvenir shops?) So it's not too surprising that time and time again, cinema and TV productions have tried to ca...
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Burg Katz

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Not only for castle lovers, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley probably is one of Germany's most beautiful stretches. In 2002, the Rhine Gorge was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to a unique combination of geological, historical, cultural and industrial reasons. Over a distance of only 65 kilometres between the towns of Koblenz and Bingen, some 40 castles and fortresses are located on the hills above the Rhine River, one of them being the Burg Katz near the town of St. Goarshausen in Rhineland-Palatinate. Katz castle, located close to the legendary Loreley rock which marks the narrowest part of the Rhine River between Switzerland and the North Sea, owes is existence to the Count Wilhelm II of Katzenelnbogen. Built between 1360 and 1371, the castle was originally known as Burg Neukatzenelnbogen , which roughly translates to "new cat's elbow". However, it was soon colloquially called Katz (cat) castle in opposition to the nearby Burg Maus (mouse castle) own...
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Schloss Artstetten

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Schloss Artstetten in Lower Austria is probably best known as the home of the Hohenberg family, the descendants of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este, whose assassination sparked the First World War. The castle's crypt is the final resting place of the Archduke and his wife, née Countess Sophie Chotek. However, the Schloss 's history stretches much further back than being the home and summer residence of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his morganatic family. The building was firstly mentioned in 1263 and belonged to a 'Wolfgang von Owatsteten' at the time, later by a 'Albero von Avrstetten'. During the following decades and centuries, the ownnership of the castle changed numerous times. In 1329, it was sold to the Lords of Streitwiesen; who, in turn, sold Artstetten to the Lords of Murstetten in 1407. Until the late 15th century, the castle was owned by Aerendorf family. During all those years, Schloss Artstetten underwent numerou...
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