These photos of Winneburg were taken in 2007 and 2008. The castle looks small from a distance but in reality it once covered a good portion of the hill. The castle is nearby Cochem, but to get to it you must drive up a back road into the hills and park in a small parking area near a quaint little hotel going by the same name as the castle.
Winneburg is well worth the visit, and to me is preferred over the rebuilt Reichsburg nearby.
Winneburg was started by the Metternich family in the 13th Century and like its more illustrious neighbor Reichsburg Cochem, was destroyed by the French in 1689.
A descendant of this family was Chancellor von Metternich of Austria who helped to cement the peace in Europe after Napoleon's defeat in 1815 at Waterloo. Metternich later purchased the ruins of Winneburg in 1832.
Left, a nice view of Reichsburg Cochem and Winneburg as seen from the southeast.
Below, the path up to Winneburg from the parking below.
The primary entrance to the castle. The entrance shows signs of having been largely rebuilt, and of course the wooden bridge is fairly new.
Nearby, before you get to the rebuilt entrance area, you can see authentic stones from another section of wall that is no longer extant. These pieces are of interest because they are inlaid with specific designs to each piece, bearing testimony to the extent of craftsmanship of those days.
Below, loopholes for firing missile weapons on attackers.
