Alt-Ems castle ruins description and photos - Austria: Vorarlberg
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Alt-Ems castle ruins (Alt-Ems) description and photos - Austria: Vorarlberg. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Alt-Ems. Photo and descriptionThe picturesque ruins of what was once Europe's largest castle rise above the Market Square in Hohenems, Vorarlberg, on a hill 740 meters above sea level. The Alt-Ems fortress, 800 meters long and 85 meters wide, was surrounded by a wall with seven towers and a drawbridge. The 47-room castle was built on a vertical rocky ridge in the 12th century. It was the fiefdom of the Ems nobles. At the end of the XII - beginning of the XIII century, a prison was equipped here for keeping high-ranking prisoners. So, in 1195, the king of Sicily, Wilhelm III, was brought here, and in 1206 - Archbishop Bruno von Cologne. In 1407, during the Appenzell Wars, the Alt-Ems castle was destroyed. A hundred years later, it was restored by Count Jacob Hannibal I von Hohenems, and in 1566 Count Kaspar von Hohenems turned it into a powerful Renaissance fortress. The plan for the reconstruction of the castle was drawn up by the architect Martino Longhi. After the von Hohenems dynasty ended in 1765, their ancestral castle was left unattended. In 1792 it was decided to demolish it. In 1938-1940 and 1965-1966, the castle was partially restored. Another reconstruction of the fortress took place in 2006-2007. Today the imposing ruins belong to the Waldburg-Zell-Hohenams family. Tourists are happy to climb to the ruins of Alt-Ems castle. These ruins, along with Noah-Ems Castle, built by the first owners of Alt-Ems, the Lords of Ems, have long become the hallmark of the city of Hohenams. Sometimes here, in the open air, they organize exhibitions of works of art. The plan for the reconstruction of the castle was drawn up by the architect Martino Longhi. After the von Hohenems dynasty ended in 1765, their ancestral castle was left unattended. In 1792 it was decided to demolish it.    We also recommend reading Open Air Museum ”Bilotti” (Museo all'aperto Bilotti) description and photos - Italy: Cosenza Topic: Alt-Ems castle ruins description and photos - Austria: Vorarlberg. |
