Last P-Day, we went to Singen, Germany to see the Hohentwiel castle ruins. This is a fortress that is build on an old volcanic core that stands about 500-600 feet above the land around it. It was used as a fortress from as early as the mid 900's and was celebrated as a fortress that was never conquered. Until...
"That would be the French" - Jack Swallow in Pirates of the Caribbean.
... and the word Parlay somehow did not seem to be honored back then...
The story goes that Emperor Napoleon's army was approaching this great fortress in 1801 and the people made an agreement that they would surrender the fortress to the French army if they promised not to destroy it.
Well, Napoleon's army destroyed it anyway. Now it is the largest castle ruin complex in Germany.
Here are a few of the pictures we took. (See of you can see where I stopped taking pictures and Sister B started...).
Sister B and the Gurneys as we rested along the steep pathway to the fortress.
the view off to the southwest (from not even close to the top yet)
The first tunnel/archway into the fortress
The beginnings of the fortress area, before we pass the "paid guests" gate.
The WC (restrooms). They were actually quite modern compared with the rest of the place.
some diligent flowers growing in the rock walls
Elder George near some of the ruins. We are still in the lowest area.
Looking one direction ...
... and the opposite
A nice Keystone arch. We suggested that we put up a sign "Book of Mormon" on the keystone...
This is the middle level. Here is an overlook on the city of Siegen, with the Bodensee (Lake Constance) in the distance. This is looking off in the southeast.
Some low doorways
looking down from the tallest tower (church tower) onto the Royal palace part of the structures
Elders George and Thompson with me on the top.
I am standing by a statue of a fort commander who is famous for killing many people in the early 1600s. This was the 30 years war between the Catholics and the Protestants. He was a Protestant.
Looking down to the area where we came into the fortress complex (right after the first tunnel)
I got up into an upper area and waved to the others down below
This is on the other side of the Keystone arch, on our way back down.
Back to Ravensburg. Here are a few of our towers.
No comments:
Post a Comment