Runkel

Another view of one of the narrow stairways in the castle.  One can imagine negotiating these while wearing chain mail and carrying a shield and weapons!

Below, a view of one of the roofs that have been restored.

Right, a nice view of the main gate.

Below right, the slot in the wall of the gate house where the beam barring the gate was fixed.  Note how the beam would slide in from the front and then drop down, locking it in place.

A few views from without.  The one on the left shows how the castle sits on a dominating rock above the houses of the middle class folk in the town below.

This photo shows an interesting stairway "bridge" into the neighboring chapel.  When the Runkel family built the chapel it was the first church in the town.

Another outer view of the castle showing how the structure dominated the town.  People are visible along some of the battlements and the main tower, providing an excellent perspective of the size of the structure.

The small window virtually in the center of the picture was a garderobe... that is, a toilet.  Waste fell from the garderobe to the rocks below, to later be washed by the rain into the town's muddy streets.  Yuck!