Tag: Castle

By Cheryl L. Hosman Dieter

I have been extremely fortunate to have had many ethereal experiences during my lifetime. The “best” ones arrive as a complete and utter surprise, a supreme blessing if you will. This is exactly what happened when Mark and I visited Oybin Castle and Monastery this past August. This stunning complex is located in the state of Saxony in Germany just a short distance from the boarder of the Czech Republic.

Mark straddling the border

The town of Oybin is charming and one of its claims to fame is that Napoleon stopped in the town.

The castle itself sits atop a huge sandstone cliff and was thought to have been established in the 13th century as a way station. It grew under the auspices of George of Lipe’ during the 14th century. Sometime in the middle of that century, Charles IV, King of Bohemia, expanded the castle and established the Celestine Monastery. The castle was struck by lightening in 1577 and fell into disarray until 1990 when the entire complex underwent extensive rennovation.

To get to the romantic ruin you can either take a high steep trail or a small pull along train that can be caught in the parking lots below the castle. It costs a few bucks for both the parking and the train. There is also a small entrance fee at when you reach the castle gate of 5-8 euros.

Views of the castle

The Gothic monastery is a few steps from the castle. It is a masterpiece with soaring “windows” which frame the “far-as-the-eye-can-see” vistas surrounding it. It is thought that a small number of very forward thinking monks lived in monastery at a time who installed under floor heating during the construction of their home.

View of the Monastery

While we were strolling through the back of the Monastery (as pictured above) we began to hear the soft and lovely strains of a violin. Upon climbing the stairs we were drawn deeper into the ruins and the beautiful acoustics that can only be heard in a building such as this. And so I leave you will a video of the magnificent surprise that greeted us that day and which we hold as a sacred memory in our hearts.