26 Video Views·Apr 14, 2026
🏰 Marksburg
🇬🇧 Marksburg, Germany
Rising about 270 feet above the town of Braubach, Marksburg is one of the very few castles along the Rhine River that has remained almost completely intact for over 900 years.
Built in 1117 to protect the town and control a key trade route, Marksburg stands as a powerful example of how medieval builders used natural terrain to create highly effective defensive systems.
Unlike many other castles that were destroyed or heavily altered over time, Marksburg has preserved much of its original structure—from its walls and towers to its layered defensive layout.
Looking deeper into its history reveals not just the story of a single fortress, but a continuous thread of life and power along the Rhine through the centuries.
We're sailing along the Rhine River on a rainy and stormy morning headed to the 925 year old
Marksburg Castle. The old castle is 270 feet above the city of Brabach. This fortress was
used for protection rather than as a residence for royal families. There are 40 hill castles
between Bingen and Rhine and Koblenz along the Rhine River. Marksburg was one of the only two
which had never been destroyed and the only one that had never fallen into great disrepair.
We'll be seeing all of Marksburg today including one of the most gruesome
torture chambers anyone could ever imagine so stay tuned.
In 1110 a stone fortified tower was built on this very spot by the powerful Epstein family
that expanded into a castle in 1117 to protect the town of Brabach.
Here is the Epstein family crest and here are the crests of all the other families that have
occupied Marksburg. In 1283 Count Eberhard bought this castle and throughout the 14th and 15th
centuries his descendants rebuilt the castle many many times. In 1429 the male line of the
Eberhard counts became extinct and the castle went to the Count of Hesse who expanded the castle
to accommodate artillery. In 1806 the French Emperor Napoleon seized the entire area and gave
Marksburg to one of his allies the Duke of Nassau. The Duke used this castle as a prison and a
hospital. In 1900 the castle was sold for a symbolic price to the German Castles Association
a group that preserves the great castles of Germany.
In March 1945 the castle was damaged by American artillery shooting at Nazis from across the Rhine.
Let's take a stroll through the interiors of the Marksburg Castle.
This rather remarkable fresco is on the ceiling of one of the rooms in the castle.
Here's a fun fact one of the reasons these beds are so small
is that people back in the day slept sitting up.
I know you've been waiting for this here is the torture chamber.
Okay let's head on into the armory.
As we head into the Knight's Hall keep in mind that protection was the order of the day.
This is the Marksburg Castle in a different location. You see in the 1990s a copy of
Marksburg was created for the Ueno German Cultural Village in Japan.
I sure hope you enjoyed my tour of the 925 year old Marksburg Castle in Germany.
