The old castle in Baden-Baden
Discover one of Germany's most beautiful towns
If you like castles then the old castle ruins are for you!
The former seat of the Margrave of Baden is now an imposing ruin. The once significant castle was built between the 12th and 15th century and was destroyed by fire at the end of the 16th century.
The important section of the castle is Bernhardsbau (built around 1400) whose ground floor columns with the coat of arms borne by angels once supported the huge arch. In its heyday the castle had 100 rooms.
From the tower of the old castle you have a great view over Baden-Baden and can see the Rhine plain and the Vosges mountains in the distance. It's also worth visiting the castle bailey. The view from the castle and the tower is priceless.
There is a large aeolian harp in the ruins of the old castle's hall. The harp, which was installed in 1999, is 4.1m high and has 120 strings. It was designed and built by local musician and harp builder Rüdiger Oppermann, who has declared it the largest aeolian harp in Europe. The nylon strings are tuned to C and G. There used to be a small aeolian harp in the old castle's hall between 1851-1920.
Today the old castle is a popular destination and a starting point for walking tours around Baden-Baden and along the Battert mountain.
You can reach the old castle from the Hotel MERKUR on bus line 208 in around 7 minutes.
Homepage of the old castle in Baden-Baden: www.schloss-hohenbaden.de
Distance from Hotel MERKUR: about 2km
General map
old castle and Hotel MERKUR on a larger map
Follow us on