Faded picture of Trifels Castle with words “Life in Lockdown at” on top with the words “Trifels Castle” on a tan banner underneath the first line. (Stripes Staff)
Life for royalty in the Middle Ages was nothing short of a soap opera. There were kidnappings, loveless arranged marriages, murder, betrayals and secret lovers. Roughly an hour from the KMC and two hours from Wiesbaden you can get caught up in the scandal, too.
For almost 1,000 years, the Reichsburg Trifels (Trifels Castle) has sat above the town of Annweiler. It was founded by the Salian dynasty as a wood and stone structure and expanded by the Hohenstaufen dynasty into a true imperial castle as well as the treasury of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. At one point, Trifels played host to one of the most holy of relics, The Holy Blood of Jesus Christ.
Nonetheless, the castle lost the favor of the Empire and then fell into ruin after the Thirty Years Wars (1618 and 1648) and was not restored until the 19th century. However, prior to its loss of prestige, the castle acted as a prison for some important people of Europe, the most famous being Richard the Lionheart.
In 1193 C.E., King Richard I of England, better known as Richard the Lionheart, was going on his Crusade to the Holy Land, and, in true soap opera fashion, somehow made himself an enemy of the Roman Empire in the German lands. He was captured in Vienna and delivered to Trifels Castle, the seat of Hohenstaufen Emperor Henry VI. His story doesn’t end there.
In a surprise twist, the trusty troubadour Blondel, a servant and friend of King Richard, noticed that he had disappeared from the Crusade group. The story goes that Blondel ventured from castle to castle, searching high and low for his kidnapped king. When he arrived at each castle, Blondel sang a song that he and the king wrote together, hoping to hear Richard croon the next verse.
It was only when Blondel got to Trifels that he got his wish and heard Richard’s voice singing their secret song. The legends differ on how exactly Blondel negotiated the king’s release, but Richard was eventually released in 1194 and Henry VI was 23 tons of silver richer.
Richard the Lionheart engraving from Leyendecker, 1883 (Erica Guilane-Nachez - Adobe Stock)
Today, you can visit the room where Richard was held prisoner at the castle. Ironically, it is not really what one envisions when they think of “prison.” Visitors should keep in mind that he was a royal prisoner, so Richard had a comfortable windowed room with an open fire.
Those who want to visit the castle need to note that it is no small feat. It is a 25-minute walk from the Schlossäcker Car Park to the castle and sturdy shoes are recommended for the trek. Once you arrive though, you can tour the castle, visit the onsite museums and find out more scandalous secrets.
Throughout the year, the Trifels Castle offers concert events, children’s tours and other special events. The castle is open on weekends and public holidays from Feb. 1 to March 14 and the month of November. It’s open Tues-Sunday March 15 to Oct. 31 and closed to the public entirely during the months of December and January. Go to burgenlandschaft-pfalz.de/burg-trifels to learn more about events, admission times and prices.
