Mosel River ValleyOct 1, 2019
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Mosel River from Cochem, Germany; on the border with France
Mosel River
Cochem, Germany
Cochem was settled in 886; no I didn't leave out the 1; during early Celtic and Roman times. During WWII, great parts of Cochem's old town were destroyed. Also, during the war, the Nazi's set up a concentration camp here. It held 13,000 people who were imprisoned. They worked as slave labor for the Bosch company making spark plugs for the bombs that flew to England and bombed London.
The Castle we saw today towering over the scenic town of Cochem is not the castle that originally stood there in the 12th century. That castle had a long and colorful history until French King Louis XIV had his troops obliterate it in 1689. The Castle remained a colorful stone ruin for 180 years until wealthy Berlin businessman Louis Ravene decided to buy the ruins and rebuild the Castle in 1868. But he was not interested in restoring it to its original Romanesque style and condition. He had his architects create a neo-Gothic castle that could serve as a summer residence for his family. He had a wife and 3 children in the 50 room castle; that's why he needed the guest house!
As you can see in the pictures, it's mostly cloudy with light rain. The mornings are better than the afternoons when it can rain harder. It's cool but not bad yet. It is October so winter is on its way.
