A photographer has explored an abandoned German castle, which has been used as everything from a medieval fortress to a wartime hospital.
Roman Robroek, 34, from the Netherlands, went inside the beautiful 12th-century property and documented everything in a video.
“There is something quite special about venturing into an abandoned place,” Roman said.
“Marveling at what the spoils of a long-lost past are still hiding, and perhaps trying to picture how the settings would have looked like at the very prime of a location’s “lifespan.”
“One can’t help but mentally wander off into such feelings when checking a certain German castle that has been abandoned for quite some time now.
“Still, the premises are incredibly fascinating, sparking curiosity and many questions concerning the place’s rich and sadly forgotten history.”
Tucked away in the countryside, the forgotten gem is surrounded by land as far as the eye can see, with barely anything left beyond the shell of the building.
Starting with the outside of the castle, Roman’s footage shows the huge three-wing complex, extensive gardens and a beautiful courtyard.
In the video, Roman shows empty rooms, with just fireplaces and paintings left hanging on the walls.
Investigating upstairs, he finds the other mostly empty, rooms, with one containing two grand fireplaces and a piano.
As well as exploring what is inside, Roman took some time to find out about the background of the site and how it changed dramatically through the centuries.
He said: “The castle has a very long and deeply rooted history, which dates back to the 1200s.
“The 1200s weren’t exactly an easy time to be in Europe, which was actually a theatre of many disputes and conflicts, not to mention other catastrophic events like the black death.”
The castle continued to thrive for the next few centuries, with expansion and renovation in 1584 to make it a larger structure.
Roman said: “The castle became a building typical of the renaissance era and was used as a permanent private residence for quite some time, however, it wasn’t too long before the castle had to go back to its original purpose, re-worked into a fortress for fear of a peasant upheaval in the area at the time.”
When it became private property in the 1700’s it still retained some of the elements of its late 1500’s renovations and expansions.
In the 1800s, the castle became a landscape park and was renovated again, then in the 1920’s, it was transformed again into the current three-wing complex, but when the second world war hit Europe, everything changed.
Roman said: “Sadly, World War II pulled the curtains on the castle’s thriving life, as the assets and the building were eventually expropriated, and the location even served as a wartime hospital during the conflict.
“To add to that, a later land reform policy in the country dictated that the castle was to become a community possession.”
The castle has been abandoned since, and although the property is owned by private parties, it is still awaiting renovations.
Roman added: “From the middle ages to the renaissance, the turn of the century, and two world wars, this castle has seen some interesting and even trying times throughout its existence in southern Germany.”
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