Photos of an old castle (update: another one added, #25)

[Kirsten]

Visited a castle a while ago, about 40 km east from where I live, Hanstein is the name. It's really old, more than 1,000 years, and when you're there, it's easy to feel the ghosts from the past.

Took some photos, of course, and I just worked on one; I wanted it to look like an old picture, eerie and dark:

http://www.catmom.de/pix/hanstein5a.jpg





This one was taken from the other side:

http://www.catmom.de/pix/hanstein2.jpg


A couple of years ago, an American friend of mine came to visit, and I took her to that place because she wanted to see a really old castle. I think Hanstein was the perfect place, and we had a good time there! :)

Kirsten

[elizabethann]

The first one looks like Dracula's castle. Cool that you can doctor it up like that.

The second one looks beautiful & serene.

[Scooter's Mom]

Oh my gosh, those are wonderful! I'd love to see that someday.

You're so talented!

[Kirsten]

Thanks! :)

Here's another photo I took the other day:

http://www.catmom.de/pix/tor4a.jpg


And these are two pictures I took a couple of years ago:

http://www.kirsten-scheffel.de/bw2.jpg

http://www.kirsten-scheffel.de/bw3.jpg


Kirsten

[Randi]

Wonderful! I particularly like the first one in post #4. You're so talented! :)

[Vela]

Those are really cool pics. Thanks for sharing those. I'd love to visit some of those old castles.

[Kalei]

Wow! That is so Cool! I just love castles and old stuff like that, it amazes me to no end. And the way you made the first picture look, man that is just incredible. I wish I could see a castle in real life someday:)

[Kirsten]

Thank you! :) Wouldn't it be nice if you'd all come over here and we could visit the castle together? :)

Here's another picture of it, posted it on fotocommunity.de this afternoon:

http://www.catmom.de/pix/tor2a.jpg

I really love that place! Saw it for the first time in 1990, after the German Reunion. Even though it's only 40 km away from here, it was in the former German Democratic Republic, so we could never go there before 1989...

Kirsten

[Miss Z]

Wow, that looks a lot like Houghton Castle which is quite near me. I just love the wonderful medieval constructions that we are so lucky to have in particularly northern and western Europe. I know what you mean about the eeriness of the places though, they always seem the perfect hangout for a few unrestful spirits... ;)

[Kirsten]

I just love the wonderful medieval constructions that we are so lucky to have in particularly northern and western Europe. I know what you mean about the eeriness of the places though, they always seem the perfect hangout for a few unrestful spirits...

Absolutely, you're soo right! LOL :) It IS spooky there, would be interesting to be there after nightfall! LOL

In previous centuries, there lived some very bad guys in Hanstein Castle; robber knights, as the legend goes... And in fact there's a dungeon which isn't much more than a deep black pit in the ground, and a torture chamber where you can still see some of their instruments. :eek:

Kirsten

[Barbara]

The colour picture looks like fairy tale Germany to me- Grimm's brothers and all.
And of course I love the B+W ones!

[jackmilliesmom]

We have plenty of castles and really old stately homes that are still in working order and have been lovingly restored one of my favourites is Kinnity Castle. We also have the Rock of Cashel where it is a ruin. there are plenty of others too. I love visiting these places as they are so full of history and if you close your eyes and concentrate you can almost hear the fights between families and clans and also the frovilities (sp) taking place.

[cyber-sibes]

Beautiful photos!

[Kirsten]

Thanks! :)

@Barbara: That's probably why the "Deutsche Märchenstraße" leads through this area. :)

@jackmilliesmom, I heard a lot about the old Irish castles, and those of England and Scotland, too. Friends of mine visited some of them a couple of years ago, and some of them were said to have their very own ghosts! :)

Kirsten

[luckies4me]

Those pictures are great! It looks like a lovely place to visit. What type of camera do you have? It takes awesome photos!

[Kirsten]

Thanks! :) These days; I use a Canon Powershot S2. The older ones are scans from a paper photo, I took them with an old Konica, I think.

Kirsten

[catmandu]

Those are such wonderful Photos.
And I know that the Pet Angels when they tour Germany will visit you Lily and Luna and picnic at that Castle.
Which City are you near in Germany?

[Kirsten]

Thanks Gary! :)

I live near Kassel, which is more or less right in the middle of Germany.

Kirsten

[lvpets2002]

:) Oh WoW the pics are just great.. I just love old castles.. thanks

[anna_66]

Kristen I'm always in awe of your talent for photography. These pictures are awesome, thanks for sharing:)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

AMAZING !!!

I love looking at your pictures! :)

[cloverfdx]

Beautiful photos Kirsten :). Thankyou for sharing with us all.

[chocolatepuppy]

Great pics! I would love to go to a castle one day. They are amazing.

[lizbud]

I loved all these pictures. Awesome looking scenes. :) Could you tell me
what the small openings in the walls are for? Like the ones in this picture.
(The openings next to the gate)


http://www.catmom.de/pix/tor4a.jpg

[Kirsten]

Thanks for your comments everyone. :)

lizbud, I was wondering about the openings myself. They look like arrow slits to me, but they wouldn't make much sense in that position. Maybe they were part of the sanitation system.

BTW, I uploaded another picture today, showing the north tower:

http://www.catmom.de/pix/turm2.jpg

Kirsten

[lizbud]

lizbud, I was wondering about the openings myself. They look like arrow slits to me, but they wouldn't make much sense in that position. Maybe they were part of the sanitation system.




At first I thought they looked like mail slots. :D Maybe for delivering
messages without opening the gate ? anyhow, I would love to visit old
castles someday. :)

[Kirsten]

Won't make much sense to place mail slots there, because on the other side of the wall, there's some kind of porch. You can see it in the new picture I posted. The wall with the openings is the one with windows, right from the tower.

Kirsten

[lizbud]

Okay, I see what you mean now. :o It is interesting though. :)