The Renkers Roadtrip: Castle Frankenstein Part 1

PART 1

Our weekends are spent on roadtrips here in Germany. We spend our time exploring Darmstadt, the place which I now call my home.

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Darmstadt (German pronunciation: [ˈdaʁmʃtat] ( listen)) is a city in the state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has a population around 150,000 (2013). (en.wikipedia.org)

What do we know about the castle?

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Castle Frankenstein was the place of residence of the noble lineage Frankenstein for 400 years.

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Castle Frankenstein can be found on a hilltop approximately 400 meters high above the Rhine-Valley. It is the northernmost castle of those along the Bergstrasse. It was first mentioned in the year 1252 by a charter.

The castle was sold by the family Frankenstein to the landgrave of Hessen-Darmstadt in 1662. It was used to house the vebterans ut then began to deteriorate.

What is the meaning of Frankenstein?

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Frankenstein is a German name consisting of two words: The Franks are a Germanic tribe and “stein” is the German word for “stone”. Accordingly, the meaning of Frankenstein is “Stone of the Franks”. The word “stein” is common in names of landscapes, places and castles in Germany. Consequently, the term “Frankenstein” is a rather ordinary name for a castle in this region.

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