Confessions of a Castleholic

Have you ever stumbled over a castle without meaning to? That's pretty much the story of Schoss Ahorn near Coburg and yours truly. I'm still not sure whether my navigation system simply got confused on the way from Schloss Hohenstein to Schloss Callenberg or if it has picked up on my love for castles instead and wanted to do me a favour. Because Schloss Ahorn is not along the most direct route between those two places but still it is where the GPS led me to go past - and after spotting this castle on the side of the road, I couldn't help but make a quick stop. Schloss Ahorn is located in a small village by the same name. While today's castle dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, previous buildings located on the same site go back as early as the 11th century. It was actually part of the dowry of the Queen of Poland, born Richeza of Lotharingia. She inherited the estate from her own mother, Matilda, one of the daughters of Holy Roman Emperor Otto II and...

"Were I not what I am, this would be my real home", Queen Victoria once wrote about S chloss Rosenau . While this little castle near Coburg may only have a dozen or two rooms, it might just be the most famous one of them all. Why? It is the birthplace of Coburg's most famous son, the man who would go on to become the husband of the most powerful woman in the world at the time and receive the title Prince Consort, Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This history of  Schloss Rosenau , however, goes back much further than this 19th century love story (or whatever you call it when two people actually get along well after an arranged marriage).  Schloss Rosenau was first mentioned in a document in 1439 as a possession of the Lords of Rosenawe. They remained the owners of the Schloss for a hundred years or so until heavy debts forced them to sell the castle to Duke Johann Casimir of Saxe-Coburg during the 16th century. Even though they managed the reacquire the cast...