Monschau Castle

Monschau Castle is a castle in the city of Monschau, in the southern Aachen region. Today it is used as a youth hostel and in summer as a venue for concerts and operas.

The castle is first documented as "castrum in Munjoje" in a charter of Archbishop Engelbert I of Cologne from the year 1217. In the mid-14th century, it was expanded into a fortress by the Counts of Jülich and provided with mighty curtain walls and battlements. In 1543, troops of Emperor Charles V besieged the complex with heavy artillery, captured it, and plundered it along with the city of Monschau.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the French administration declared the castle state property and sold it to private individuals, who had the roofs removed between 1836 and 1837 to be exempt from property tax. As a result, the castle fell into ruin until the administration of the Rhine Province had it secured and repaired at the beginning of the 20th century. After the First World War, a youth hostel was opened in the west wing. Thus, Monschau Castle was preserved as a "youth castle". In 1971, Christo wrapped the castle, among other things, as a work of art.