Sooneck

A funny thing happened to me on the way to Sooneck!  While I had photos of Sooneck from a distance taken years ago, I had never actually visited it.  So.... off I went to check it out.

Left:  Sooneck 2005; below 1979.

When I got there, I went into the entrance and looked for the kiosk where I could pay to walk around the battlements.  After paying a few Euros, I guy up a stairway was urging me to hurry, and so I did... and lo and behold... I was caught up in, you guesed it!  A fuhrung!!!  Urrrgghh!  But actually, it wasn't too bad, other than the fact that I couldn't take any photos inside.  But the tour was still interesting, and again gave me a chance to work on my German.

Sooneck had a notorious history, in that the lords who owned it bucked the Holy Roman Emperor on several occasions, and twice in the 1200s the castle was smashed and the lords expelled.  Rebuilt, the castle was victimized by the French in the 1680s.  Its current design is somewhat different from its original in that it was rebuilt in the Romantic style.

The tour was actually worth it, and while compact, there is plenty within to see.  Unfortunately, there is a large strip mine operation next door, and this ruins some of the views from the castle.  To the right, the main entrance.

If you look carefully at the photo on the left, you can see that the main keep is slightly leaning... or is it the main hall in the foreground?  Either way, time has taken its toll.  Below, a view looking up the main keep (right) and one of the outlying turrets.  Sooneck's walls and turrets are almost completely accessible.

Pleasent views and quaint alcoves.  Sooneck has nice little areas where one can just stop, rest and contemplate the beauty of the Rhein below.