Thanks to story books, comics, movies and television shows (and to some extent, the British royal family), some of us probably grew up wanting to own a castle, or live in one. Of course, as time passes the realities of life – real life – pushes many of us further away from our childhood fairytale fantasies.
Frankly, today, only some of us are lucky enough to live in a space we can claim as our own, never mind that it isn’t even nearly 10% the size of a castle. (A castle is described as a large building built in medieval times with thick walls and a few towers meant to withstand attacks from enemies. Meanwhile, a palace is the official residence of a leader or ruler, or a royal family.)
But unless you’re a dreamy-eyed child who still believes in the existence of all things magical like flying pixies and rats that can help sew beautiful ball gowns for us, you probably would not want to live in a castle now anyway. It’s too impractical. Imagine all the cleaning you have to do... even with an army of cleaners and domestic helpers on staff, the huge place would still be dusty by the end of the day.
However, there is still a way to have your castle dreams come to life – by visiting one. You could even stay the night in a handful of castles and manors around the world, though it may not all be that affordable.
Take, for example, the Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland. This is a 12th-century castle with 104 bedrooms and features, among others, a Michelin-starred restaurant called the Oak Room. There’s also an award-winning golf course within the resort grounds. A night here will set you back around RM4,850 per room.
There are cheaper options of course, and Europe is home to plenty of castles and palaces, some of which are actually listed on Airbnb and other accommodation booking platforms.
He commissioned the construction of Drachenburg Castle, first using two local architects and then replacing them with Wilhelm Hoffmann from Paris. It took a while to fully build and furnish the castle, and once it was done, it was... left empty.
Our local guide said that Sarter was a bit of a show off. He wanted to build the castle not as a place of dwelling but to prove to everyone that he was rich enough to do it. Sarter never lived at Drachenburg, and was never married.
He died in his home in Paris, and did not regulate his inheritance. As a result, the state took control of the property, which was then bought by Sarter’s nephew, Jakob Biesenbach. Biesenbach grew up in a nearby castle, and had envisioned Drachenburg as a resort for the affluent.
He turned it into a hotel and made some changes to the facade, but sold off the property years later to a businessman who dreamt of turning the place into a theme park!
Alas, he did not actually have the financial means to do this, and Drachenburg was then sold off to one buyer after another, each of whom had different plans for the property. Drachenburg was even an all-boys’ boarding school at one point, as well as a training centre for German Rail.
A large part of the building was destroyed during World War II, but gradually restored throughout the years. The last private owner, Paul Spinat, helped finance the restoration in the 1970s and 1980s, but it was only in 1989 that a plan for full restoration was initiated by the North-Rhine Westphalia Foundation, which is the castle’s owner today.
While walking through the halls of Drachenburg, you get the feeling that it is not all that grand, perhaps because a lot of the original furnishings and even facade have either been replaced or reconstructed.
The was a billiard table in one of the rooms, and supposedly this was something that Sarter had wanted. In the dining room, the table was all set for a meal, with cutlery and white porcelain dishes all placed accordingly.
Meanwhile, the master bedroom had a bay window, and a man’s sleeping dress was hung near the cupboard. It seemed a little eerie, but I suppose it was meant to display what kind of clothes folks used to wear to sleep back then.
Outside, flowers were blooming in the beautiful, well-trimmed garden. Although, weirdly enough, the were a few large statues of golden deer standing around. Our guide said it was just another one of Sarter’s lavish ways of showing how much money he had. “Or maybe he just loved deer and gold, who knows?” she said, cheekily.
There were also several giant sequoia trees in the surroundings, which were said to have been brought in as seedlings from California, and planted during Sarter’s time. I’m glad these trees survived all those years.
To visit Drachenburg Castle, you would need to fly to Dussel-dorf or Cologne. The castle tour usually includes a visit to Drachenfels, and you can choose to either hike up the hill or take the train.
Germany has many castles and palaces (reportedly there are more than 20,000!) that are worth visiting, including Nueschwan-stein Castle (which supposedly inspired Disney’s Cinderella castle) in the state of Bavaria, Hohen-zollen Castle and Heidelberg Castle, both in the state of Baden-Wurttember, and one of the most important historical landmarks in Germany, the Nuremberg Castle, which is also in Bavaria.
If you’re interested in seeing more castles around the world, there are travel agencies that offer “castle tour” packages and promotions. Europe is a good destination for this but some countries in Asia, namely Japan and South Korea, also have a list of amazing castles to check out.
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