The Great Old Fortress

Hohenzollern Castle

Germany is rich in ancient castles. I was privileged and honored to pay a visit to this castle during my trip to Germany. It was my business trip as an interpreter within the framework of the Ukrainian-German cultural exchange. We stayed in Balingen and had a bus tour to Burg Hohenzollern. Thanks, our German friends, for taking us there! I do appreciate that visit now, even much more than I did at that time.

At Hohenzollern Castle

Visiting Hohenzollern Castle

During our tour of Hohenzollern Castle

A great visit to Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenstein Castle is superb

The locals call this castle fliegende Burg (Flying Fortress). You can see it from the motorway and if the weather is foggy, you can get the impression of a flying fortress. The castle looks amazing in nighttime.
Burg Hohenzollern is located at 855 meters above sea level. This castle is Prussia’s legacy in Baden-Wuerrtemberg. You can see it by Prussia’s flag and coat-of-arms here. The castle is a complex of different buildings and sites, among them:

• evangelische Kapelle (the Evangelic chapel);
• Stammbauhalle (the original hall);
• Grafensaal (Count’s Hall);
• Blauer Salon (Blue Saloon).

Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle

Kaiser Wilhelm II, sharing his impressions about his visit to this castle, said: „Die Aussicht von der Burg Hohenzollern ist wahrlich eine weite Reise wert“. ("The view from Burg Hohenzollern is worth a long trip indeed".) Hohenzollern Castle

I was an interpreter of a Ukrainian choir in 1991, when we had a tour of this catsle. Since it was only my second trip to Germany as an interpreter, I found it hard to translate the guide’s fast speech about the castle’s rich history and events. Therefore, I asked him to speak a bit slower, but to no avail. It was evident for our group that my translations were lagging behind and were too short, but the group members did not seem to mind. They were too busy admiring the interior and the exhibits and did not pay much attention at the guide’s epic story about the castle, its history and former owners. Now, it is about time I revisited this castle in a quiet setting and without having to translate, merely contemplating the interior and the exhibits.

They call it, The Flying Fortress

I kept the book about Zollernalb County in my classroom. It was a splendid gift from Germany! After all my friends had seen it, I decided to take it to my school as a gift for students and teachers. There are good pictures of the castle. The book is in three languages: German, English and French: "Der Zollernalbkreis. Bilder einer Landschaft", Druck+Verlagshaus Hermann Daniel, Balingen, 1990, ISBN 3-927936-00-6.

My badge from this fortress

Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle