Aschaffenburg

One of our guide books to Germany suggested the city of Aschaffenburg as an easy drive from Frankfurt and well worth the visit. When I told the kids we were going on another day trip, they whined, "Not another castle! That's all we do is see castles!" I never thought we would see a day when my kids would lament having to tour a centuries-old castle. I told them to take heart. We were not to visit a castle, rather a palace (splitting hairs, I know).

Johannisburg Palace (or Castle, depending on the translation) is a relatively young one, having been constructed in the early 1600s. It served for years as the second residence of the Archbishop of Mainz.

This model in the palace's museum shows the condition of the palace immediately after WWII. Since first visiting Europe in the 80s, I have always been on the lookout for towns and buildings being classified as restored or reconstructed. I felt less duped if I knew that what I was viewing was not the original and authentic.

Well, it's not helpful to have that attitude when touring Germany or many other parts of Europe for that matter. So much of the country was badly damaged during the war and needed to be rebuilt. You'll drive yourself crazy if you stress about what is original and what is reconstructed. The city of Munich was almost completely rebuilt after the war, but it shouldn't stop you from enjoying the city, which looks just like it did before the war.

Most of Johannisburg Palace is an art museum with hundreds of paintings and many artifacts from centuries past.
























This fellow seemed to be the mascot of the palace. He was on brochures, t-shirts and postcards.

An ornate sleigh with a seat for the driver at the rear

These porcelain figurines reminded me of my brothers.

Emilie's face is reflected in the dollhouse's mirror.

Schloss Johannisburg has another unusual attraction to offer: the world's largest collection of historical cork models. Who knew? These replicas of antique Rome were made between 1792 and 1854 by the court pastry cook Carl May and his son Georg. This is the biggest cork model anywhere, the Colosseum with a diameter of over nine feet.

In the courtyard preparations were underway for an outdoor movie showing. The yellow tower on the right is the castle keep (strong central tower and my new word for the day) and is the only remaining part of the original castle built in the 1400s.

We marveled at the details of the building, such as this doorway carving, especially knowing how much of it needed to be restored.



View from the herb garden

The highlight of the day for the kids was being accosted by this family of swans who made a beeline for us when they heard us at the river's edge, no doubt hoping for some tasty morsels.

Back up to the palace

Emilie's sweet face contrasts nicely with the naughty one above