Topic Trips
Philipp J. Conrad

We have been to Castell and Kitzingen

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As I had already written last week we're not travelling lots at the moment, because of the COVID-19-Pandemic. Instead, we decided to get to know our new home a little better. Currently, we're living in the north-west of Bavaria in a region called Franconia. Franconia itself is split into three districts: Lower Franconia, Middle Franconia and Upper Franconia. They are three of the seven districts of Bavaria. The district we live in is Lower Franconia. It's a beautiful region which makes up most of the so-called Weinfranken region (Wine land Franconia).

  • The old city of Castell with its Saint-John-Church in Lower Franconia, Germany.

    Castell

    Castell is a tiny village in the wine region of Lower Franconia. The place is the home of the Princely House of Castell-Castell, who until this day own the Castell Palace and are involved in viticulture. On the hill “Herrenberg”, in the middle of vineyards lie the ruins of the old castle and the actual castle “Castell”.

    So this weekend we decided to visit a tiny town with lots of history. Castell is the home of the Princes of Castell-Castell. Castell was an earldom since 1200. Later it was partitioned into two lines. The line of Castell-Castell was a county in the Holy Roman Empire with its capital in Castell. In 1898 one of the Dukes of Castell-Rüdenhausen married Ottilie von Faber the heiress of the worlds biggest creator of pencils. The company was later renamed to “Faber-Castell”. On top of the hills surrounding the town lie the ruins of two former castles. Up there, one has an amazing view over the whole area with its vast and beautiful fields and vineyards.

  • The crooked tower Falterturm in Kitzingen at the Main, Germany.

    Kitzingen

    Kitzingen is a small town in Weinfranken at the Main. The city with its surroundings is considered the largest wine producer in Bavaria. The first Franconian wine law was passed here in 1482. The main sight of Kitzingen is the Falterturm with a crooked tower spire, and there's also Germany's first carnival museum.

    Later that afternoon we visited the city of Kitzingen, the capital of the district Kitzingen which is the largest vine producer in Bavaria. It is a former free imperial city which was occupied by the Swedish army for three years during the Thirty Years' War, located at the banks of the river Main. Allegedly Count Dracula is buried in the graveyard of Kitzingen. I am not so sure this is actually true.