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Falkenstein Castle, Germany

Too many castles, so little time. Falkenstein was a fair-sized castle in it’s day. I caught it as the late afternoon sun was coming through the big windows.

This castle is in the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate and should not be confused with the other seven Falkenstein Castles in Germany, nor the other six Falkenstein Castles in surrounding countries! It doesn’t even make the Wikipedia list of Falkenstein Castles. Either those old-time Falkensteins got around, or they weren’t very adept at thinking up new names.

Regardless, it’s a cool place to visit because it’s free, has great views of the surrounding valley, you can drive to it, and there is a restaurant right next door (weekends only).

Michael Liebhaber; Late Afternoon at Falkenstein Castle, Germany; 2014; Pencil on paper, 25.5 cm x 18 cm
Michael Liebhaber; Late Afternoon at Falkenstein Castle, Germany; 2014; Pencil on paper, 25.5 cm x 18 cm.
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Charming old chapel torn in half.

This little church in Landstuhl, Germany has seen better days, at least architecturally. I’ve walked around it before, trying to get a good angle. Around and around. This is the best view. The problem is that the nave of the church was torn down because it was in unrepairable shambles. But the church is so small that the nave was about half of the church. It is still pretty from this angle and it’s interior is charming.

The “renovation” was done relatively recently, some time in the 1800s. That’s recent considering the church was built about 1300 and that there are records of graves in the church yard, from a previous wooden church, at least a couple of hundred years before that!

Alten Kapelle
Alten Kapelle, 5×7″, ink and pencil on paper.