This is the first book to explore scores of castles & palaces in Germany.

NEW EDITION WITH IMPROVED LAYOUT AND MORE ILLUSTRATIONS. Schloss is the German word for castle or palace. This book by Susan Symons visits 25 beautiful schlösser (the plural of schloss) in Germany and tells the compelling personal stories of the colourful royalty that lived in them. It is recommended to anyone who likes history or travelogues or who is interested in people's personal stories. Germany has a rich royal history. The country was not unified until 1870, and before that there were hundreds of different kingdoms, duchies and principalities, each with their own reigning family. These have left their mark, not least in the numerous castles and palaces that dot the German countryside. This book is about visits to 25 of these German schlösser. It tells the colourful stories of some historical royal characters connected with them; characters such as the mistress of the king who tried to blackmail him and was imprisoned for 49 years; the crown princess who ran away from her husband and six children with their tutor; and the insignificant princess who was passed on by her fiancé to his brother but who ended up heiress to the throne of England. The book brings these and other stories vividly to life. With so many eligible princesses to choose from, Germany was the royal marriage market for Europe, and German princesses married into all of Europe's royal families. The book looks at how the British royal family is descended from the rulers of these German kingdoms and duchies. It also brings out two themes; the lottery of arranged dynastic marriages for royal princesses, and the equally sad fate of their landless younger brothers. The German royal princes abdicated in 1918 at the end of World War I. As they lost their royal families, many of the schlösser went into decline and became prisons, workhouses and other institutions. Some were behind the iron curtain for 50 years. The book charts these difficult years and their resurgence and use today as museums, hotels and public buildings. The book is intended to be easy to read, light-hearted and entertaining. It has more than 60 illustrations and 9 family trees. The schlösser included range from fortified castles of the middle ages, to grand palaces built in the 18th century in imitation of Louis XIV's Versailles, to stately homes from the turn of the 20th century. Many of them are not well known outside Germany and visiting these wonderful buildings is a real treat. 'This book can be seen as an inspiration ... to get out there and find the lesser known palaces and learn more about their history.' Review of Schloss in Royalty Digest Quarterly Journal

Schloss is the German word for castle or palace. This book visits twenty-five beautiful schlosser (the plural of schloss) in Bavaria and tells the colourful stories of historical royal characters connected with them. The history of Bavaria is closely linked with the glamourous Wittelsbach royal family, who produced such well-known celebrities as Mad King Ludwig II. This book tells their enthralling story. It also discovers other Bavarian dynasties - which got fabulously rich from inventing the postal service; specialised in being elected as church princes; or whose smart marriage policy brought them numerous thrones... Bavaria is a beautiful part of Germany and a real joy to visit. In the days of the monarchy, Bavaria was a kaleidoscope of sovereign territories ruled by dukes, princes, and bishops. From Franconia in the north to the Alps in the south, the Bavarian countryside teems with their fascinating castles and palaces. The stories include the prince who sold his country and its people to Prussia; the princess who was expected to marry an emperor until he saw her little sister; the king of Bavaria who reigned the longest but who hardly ever appears in the history books; and the duke who has been called the Bavarian Henry VIII. The fairy-tale castles built by Ludwig II are visited by tourists from around the world, but other schlosser rarely see an English speaker. This book might encourage you to get off the beaten track and see these wonderful places yourself. Schloss in Bavaria is the author's fourth book about The Fascinating Royal History of German Castles. With over 100 illustrations and 14 family trees; it should appeal to anyone who likes history, sightseeing, or is interested in people's personal stories. The author's first three books, called Schloss, Schloss II, and Schloss III, are also available on Amazon.

After 40+ years of writing about Europe, Rick Steves has gathered 100 of his favorite memories together into one inspiring, award-winning collection: For the Love of Europe: My Favorite Places, People, and Stories. Join Rick as he's swept away by a fado singer in Lisbon, learns the dangers of falling in love with a gondolier in Venice, and savors a cheese course in the Loire Valley. Contemplate the mysteries of centuries-old stone circles in England, dangle from a cliff in the Swiss Alps, and hear a French farmer's defense of foie gras. With a brand-new, original introduction from Rick reflecting on his decades of travel, For the Love of Europe features 100 of the best stories published throughout his career. Covering his adventures through England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and more, these are stories only Rick Steves could tell. Wry, personal, and full of Rick's signature humor, For the Love of Europe is a fond and inspirational look at a lifetime of travel. Winner of the 2022 Society of American Travel Writers' Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award: Best Travel Book, Silver

Schloss III is the author's third book about the fascinating royal history of German castles. It visits 25 beautiful castles and palaces in central Germany and tells the colourful stories of the royal families associated with them. It also looks at how these wonderful buildings have survived the century since the monarchy fell and how they are being used today. The historical royal stories in the book include the prince who defied his family to marry a pharmacist's daughter and then bought the rank of royal princess for her; the prince cheated out of his inheritance by his elder brothers after their father's will disappeared; and the princess whose illegitimate birth may have been covered-up and who married the heir to the Russian throne. Schloss is the German word for castle or palace. The schlosser (plural of schloss) in the book range in time from the twelfth-century hilltop palace that was home to St Elisabeth and inspired an opera by Richard Wagner; to a nineteenth-century make-believe medieval castle on the Rhine, holiday home of a Prussian king. Many of them are not well-known to overseas visitors and some rarely see an english speaker. Schloss III has more than 80 illustrations and 15 family trees; it should appeal to anyone who likes history or sightseeing, or is interested in people's personal stories. After a thousand years of monarchy, the Kaiser abdicated in 1918, at the end of World War I, and Germany became a republic. Until then, the country was a patchwork of smaller royal states each with its own ruling family. These German dukes and princes were passionate builders; the beautiful castles and palaces they built, and their fascinating personal stories, are explored in this author's books. Her first two books, called Schloss and Schloss II, are also available on Amazon."

Schloss II is the author's second book about the fascinating royal history of German castles. It visits 25 more beautiful castles and palaces in north and central Germany and tells more colourful stories of the royal families that built and lived in them. Royalty have always been the celebrities of their day, and these stories from history can rival anything in modern-day television soap operas. Schloss II has more than sixty illustrations and fifteen family trees. It is intended to be light-hearted and easy to read and should appeal to anyone who likes history or travelogues or is interested in people's personal stories. Schloss is the German word for castle or palace, and you are never far from one of these in Germany. For most of its history Germany was not a single country but a patchwork of independent states, each with its own royal family. These dukes and princes were passionate builders and left behind a rich legacy in the thousands of schlosser (the plural of schloss) that cover the German countryside. The schlosser in this book were built over many centuries and range in time from an eleventh century imperial palace, built to house the travelling court of an emperor who ruled from the back of a horse; to a schloss which only recently reopened after it was destroyed in World War II, and is now home to a shopping mall. The colourful stories in the book include the princess from a tiny German state who used her body and her brains to become the ruler of the vast Russian empire; the prince who tried to run away from his bullying father and was forced as his punishment to witness the execution of the friend who had helped him; and the German Queen of England whose private life was so scandalous that she was refused admittance to her own coronation. The author's first book, called Schloss, is also available on Amazon."