Hohenzollern Castle

I have often seen beautiful photos of Hohenzollern perched high on a hill, looking so impressive and large. Once I realized that Hohenzollern was not far from Zurich it was immediately on my list of places to see on this trip. We made the trip from Colmar, crossing the German border and arriving early in the afternoon. The castle is the ancestral seat of the Hohenzollern family, which produced the kings of Prussia and the German emporers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It fell into ruin and was restored in the 19th century. There is a long covered passageway as you make your way up to the castle itself - quite an impressive entrance. Once you reach the castle complex you have the choice of entering the interior rooms, the church, the restaurant and gift shop, or walking the walls of the outer bastions. We opted to visit the interior rooms first as it was raining off and on and was quite chilly. We saw many rooms which had beautiful ceilings, paintings, and sculpture as well as antiques and artifacts. I think our favorite was a large brass piece. It was highly decorated and we could not figure out its function. We thought perhaps a timepiece or a music box but we sought out one of the staff and she said it was a chalice. She didn't think it had ever been used but was a symbol of the family's wealth and power. We visited the churches and then continued on to the walls surrounding the castle. Unfortunately for us,the rain and clouds obscured much of the view but there were statues to see of the Prussian kings and the German emporers. After our time outside we were cold and hungry so we decided to have a somewhat early dinner in the castle restaurant. My husband opted for a burger and I ordered a chicken dish. My husband said his burger was good and my chicken breast was deliciously seasoned and moist. We shared an apple strudel for dessert and returned to our car for the drive to Tubingen where we would stay the night. We stopped at a turnout on the road and managed to get a photo of the castle as the clouds had finally lifted a bit.