Regarding Hohentwiel, I have a terrible tale of woe to tell! When I visited in 1979, I was on my cycling tour, having just departed the Reutlingen area to ride south through the Donau (Danube) valley. When in the main part of the castle, I stopped at the base of the Wiederhold bust (right, in 2005 and 1979) and changed out a role of film. In my carelessness, I left a just-used role sitting at the base of the bust! It had on it a number of Hohentwiel photos, and even worse, my Hohenzollern photos! As a consequence, I have only a few Hohentwiel photos from 1979, and NONE of Hohenzollern. Urgghhh!!! I purposely took my 2005 photo of the bust with the base visible so I could "commemorate" the lose of my valuable photos! I hope whoever found them enjoyed them.
At the top of the fortress is a rebuilt tower that provides a spectacular view of the surrounding area, as well as much of the upper part of the castle.
Underneath, there are numerous subterrainean passages to explore, and those open represent only a fraction of the passages beneath that are still closed off. The arched architecture is common for castles. Inset... one of the vents to a passage beneath that is still sealed off.
I have a few photos from 1979 that provide interesting "then and now" comparisons.
The first set: looking towards Singen. The comparison is not exact, but it is the same side of the upper portion of the fortress. Left, in 1979, and right in 2005.
A more precise "then and now" below. Left in 1979, right in 2005. Note the trails in the 2005 photo that are not there in 1979.
The view to the Untersee by Radolfzell, which is the southern finger of the Bodensee, is fantastic. While a good 15 kms away, I could clearly see a large number of sail boats on the water. The Untersee is on the horizon, center right. Singen is below.
The view all around is excellent, and thus Hohentwiel should be on any itinerary for a castle enthusiast.
Left, a good view of Hohentwiel from Rosenegg, though spoiled a little by mist and waning daylight. To the left, below the higher plateau, can be seen the initial fortifications as part of the main entrance.
Below, a wide angle view from the same vantage point demonstrating the strategic dominance of the fortress on its volcanic plug. Both photos were taken in 2010.
