Braunfels

These photos were taken in 2007 and show the area within the inner ward (right).  Scaffolding is visible as crews were busy doing some repair work.

Right, a view of the castle as seen from a section of the town.  The castle dominates the town and is actually part of the defensive work.  Thus, Braunfels is an excellent example of how a medieval town was organized, with the castle on the hill and the middle class merchants and shop owners on the hillside (hence the origin of the French word Bourgeoisie).

Below, a good example of a crew doing repair work.  Castles, like any other structure (and even more so) need repair and maintenance to keep them from falling apart.

The three photos (top/left/bottom) show some aspects of the old town of Braunfels.  Though damaged by fire it was rebuilt along the same streets and thus the roads are very narrow.

Above and left, two of the gates that led to the inner town.  Both are very narrow, but the one to the left is EXTREMELY narrow!

Below, one of the narrow back streets.  The sign indicates that the road is a dead end.