Hohenzollern Castle

The Prussian King and Princes of Hohenzollern's ancestral home, Hohenzollern Castle, is boldly perched about 900 meters above the Swabian Jura and is guarded with towers and battlements.

King Frederick William IV of Prussia was a bit of a Romanticist on the throne who loved the fine arts and had a lyrically romantic affinity to the Middle Ages. And that's probably why he hired Friedrich August Stüler, one of Berlin's most prominent architects at the time, to rebuild the castle's ruins. Even though it was a little behind the times, he realized the idealized picture of a medieval knight's castle, which is still breathtaking and overwhelmingly beautiful today.

The reconstruction project's cornerstone was set in 1852, and it was completely finished in 1867. The castle includes 140 rooms in all, with the King's bed chamber, the family tree room, the library, and the Queen's room, also known as the Blue Salon, among its highlights. With its gilded coffered ceiling, gorgeous marquetry flooring, and paintings of Prussian royals, the interior decor is exquisite. Also, the castle's own brewery produces its own beer called PREUSSENS for those who aren't too concerned with monarchy beliefs.

Location: Burg Hohenzollern, Germany