r/interestingasfuck • u/The_Love-Tap • 22h ago

Germany has more castles than the United States has McDonald’s. This is the Eltz castle, located in Wiershem. It has been owned and occupied by the same family for 33 generations over 800 years

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u/TA_Lax8 21h ago

"This includes everything from grand medieval hilltop ruins to famous fairy-tale landmarks like Neuschwanstein Castle"

You just named two things at the same end of the spectrum. It also includes barely discernable rock piles and countryside homes that happened to have a fence.

Yes, there are many many amazing castles and forts in Germany, more than most would think, but you imply they are all majestic while many were simply a small keep at a crossroads garrisoned by like 4 people

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u/Azulapis 21h ago

I don't know where you live in Germany. But in my area, every city has at least 2–3 castles, and there are many more in the surrounding towns. Yes, they aren't as majestic as Neuschwanstein. But they are essentially what a castle truly was in medieval times, like this one.

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u/Shar4f 20h ago

If you look at the list https://www.alleburgen.de/burgen-deutschland.php

Most of them are ruins or just places that were formerly places of castles. It also includes churches and manors.

The number of intact ones is not anywhere close to 25k

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u/Scribblehamzter 19h ago

Yes, adding to that: https://www.dw.com/en/does-germany-really-have-25000-castles/a-42350502

"In fact, only perhaps 20 percent of the castles in Germany still have a roof on them, according to the EBI director. Another 40 percent are in a state of ruin, while the remaining ones often exist only as "ground-level monuments" in which only the foundations — if even those — are still evident."

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u/TA_Lax8 21h ago

Oh there are definitely thousands of proper castles in Germany, I make that point in my comment. But in OPs count of 20k-25k, for every proper castle, there are 5 that were a four man keep at a crossroads or a wooden palisade near a manor.

I think the count of true castles/forts is closer to 8k, which is still unreal. But to get the figure above the "McDonalds" in USA number OP had to loosen the definition and I'm just making that point

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u/cyberdork 16h ago

I don't know where you live in Germany. But in my area, every city has at least 2–3 castles,

This is absolutely not the case in all of Northern Germany.

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u/MarcioMakaveli 21h ago

Ich komme aus dem Schwarzwald und sehe während dem pinkeln schon 3 Burgen wenn ich aus dem Fenster schaue.

P.s. : Und Richtung Flachland nur 1 megges 😅

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u/mikiex 15h ago

Which is also your house.

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u/Impressive-Turnip-38 14h ago

Man it’d be so cool to live there

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u/psychic_gibbon 13h ago

I imagine they would do well on airbnb!
Is there a specific tourism site specialising in German castle bookings??

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u/EvilAnno 21h ago

I see your point, but i am sure you can also find a small mc Donald's at a crossroads staffed by like four people and the comparison is kinda hilarious to me.

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u/TA_Lax8 21h ago

yeah, but your not gonna find a McHohenzollern one anywhere

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u/Wiesel1234 21h ago

Theres a burgerking quite close to that castle.

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u/TA_Lax8 21h ago

I was not aware lol. Was this Wilhelms seat after WW1?

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u/MarcioMakaveli 21h ago

Ländliche Häuser mit Zaun sind mit Sicherheit keine Burg, du willst nur gerne alles schlecht reden.

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u/TA_Lax8 21h ago

Medieval manors that had a simple waist high stone wall (whether still standing or merely in ruins) are part of this count.

I simplified it by saying "fence" rather than wall. But the count includes thousands of "castles/forts" that had 4-8 person garrisons. A small keep at a crossroads, a motte and bailey wooden palisade, etc. I was calling out OP for only naming the high end structures/manors. Not because I'm putting down history, but OP is being very misleading

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u/MarcioMakaveli 21h ago

Herrenhäuser hast du vorher nicht gesagt 🤔

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u/TA_Lax8 21h ago

The Garten? What does that have to do with anything

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u/MarcioMakaveli 21h ago

Du redest einfach Unsinn.

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u/TA_Lax8 21h ago

what does herrenhäuser Garten have to do with this conversation. Are you just naming another grand estate? That doesn't mean anything in of itself

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u/The_Villager 20h ago

Your translating tool is leading you astray there. They said "Herrenhäuser", the plural form of "Herrenhaus", which translates to "manor house".

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u/TA_Lax8 20h ago

Appreciate it

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u/CheapSound1 21h ago

No, Neuschwanstein is neither medieval nor a ruin.

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u/Bob_Bradshaw 21h ago

I think their scale isnt good to bad condition, but from unremarkable to famous.

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u/TA_Lax8 21h ago

As in grand vs plain

My point was, of those 20k-25k, the vast majority were simple keeps at a crossroads or a wooden palisade.

The way OP worded it, which is what I quoted, was wrongfully implying Germany had 20k massive and grand castles/forts.

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u/armoured_bobandi 17h ago

It's so misleading, but at the same time is so easy to just use your critical thinking.

Like, it's literally not possible for there to be more castles like the one pictured in the article than McDonalds in the USA

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u/among_apes 21h ago

True but many of our McDonald’s are in a Walmart garrisoned by 3 people.

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u/calijnaar 21h ago

I mean,if they have a motte and bailey they could probably pass as a castle even with a garrison of three...

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u/among_apes 21h ago

Molten hot apple pies are their defense of choice

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u/calijnaar 21h ago

Guys, get out the apple pies, we're under siege by those pizza delivery bastards again.

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u/quietandcalculated 21h ago

Americans trying to lecture germans about germany... why am i not surprised.

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u/roarti 20h ago

They are right though. At best it's misleading to write about Eltz and Neuschwanstein and then state that they are "25,000 castles" in Germany. Only a small share of those will be recognisable as a castle to most people, and an even smaller share as majestic as Eltz.

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u/TA_Lax8 20h ago

Ich bin ein Berliner!

Strawberry jelly doughnut to be precise