Bischofstein Castle

Burg Bischofstein stands on a steep mountainside above the Moselle between Moselkern and Hatzenport. It faces the borough of Burgen across the river and belongs to the Landkreis Mayen-Koblenz. The castle’s tall cylindrical keep is plastered white halfway up, and a ruined chapel adjoins the walls. The keep is a donjon, built for defence rather than comfort. Below the castle the B 416 runs along the riverbank, while the Baybach carves gorges into the Hunsrück plateau to the north. The castle was first built in 1270 by Archdeacon Heinrich von Bolanden and later strengthened for the Archbishops of Treves. It survived the Thirty Years’ War but was destroyed by French troops in 1689. After changing hands several times, it was rebuilt in 1930 and again in 1938. In 1954 Fichte Gymnasium in Krefeld bought the castle to use as a school retreat centre. Visitors today find a 1930s-style retreat centre inside the restored walls. The keep and chapel ruins remain visible, and a polyptych from 1530 was discovered during rebuilding. Groups of pupils and exchange students stay in the modernised rooms. The steep climb rewards walkers with wide views over the Moselle valley and the wine villages below.