Rheinstein castle was constructed around 1316-1317. It was important for its strategic location. By 1344, the castle was in decline. By the time of the Palatine War of Succession, the castle was very dilapidated. During the romantic period in the 19th century, Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863) bought the castle and it was rebuilt.
In 1975 the opera singer Hermann Hecher bought the castle. It's due to him that Rheinstein Castle became again one of the centres of attraction in the Rhine Valley. Around the apartment tower from the 14th Century you find neo-Gothic sets, turrets, terraces and iron stairs. Inside are stained glass windows and mural painting as well as a Renaissance fire-place and stylish furniture.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.