Text and photo: Jonathan Gharbi de Maré
We continue along Burgenstrasse and visit castles and experience German traditions and German food culture in southern Germany. Among other things, we learn about the measurements of sausages and get to meet a young star chef from Germany who is serving food at the world's largest samba festival outside of Brazil.
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Coburg and samba festival in Germany
Coburg is a small town in northern Bavaria with around 40,000 inhabitants that includes a beautiful castle and a huge fortress that overlooks the area. There are many castles and palaces in the area so you have to choose which ones you have time to visit.
If you travel along Burgenstrasse perhaps you come from the enormous Rosenberg fortress which is 45 minutes away by car. More about Rosenberg Castle in upcoming articles about Burgenstrasse which will be coming in the autumn. If you are visiting Nuremberg, Coburg is about an hour's drive north.
Veste Coburg, one of the largest castles in Germany
Veste Coburg is one of the larger castles I have seen and has a massive masonry structure on top of a hill. What is surprising is that relatively few visitors find it despite it being so large. This may also be due to the large number of castles, there are simply so many, but this one in particular felt extra massive to me. It is ranked as one of Germany's largest castles, comparable to the fortress in Rosenberg which is also very large.
For me personally, it's more fun to visit castles with a little less tourism and where you can walk around without feeling disturbed by large numbers of visitors. It makes it a little easier to imagine what it might have been like when the castle was used as a shelter several centuries ago.
We went up to Veste Coburg one evening to enjoy the last hour of sunshine and thought there would be a few people there but it was almost deserted except for the occasional couple sitting and watching the sunset. So here's a tip for those of you who like some peace and quiet, visit Veste Coburg, stay at Hohenstein Castle and avoid visiting the city July 9–11.
The largest samba festival outside of Brazil
The Coburg Samba Festival takes place from 9 to 11 July 2027 and it is usually expected that around 3000 people will come to dance samba in the small town. The area where they have the festival is jokingly called Coburg Cabana with reference to the Copacabana beach area in Rio de Janeiro. Tens of thousands of visitors are attracted to Coburg during the samba festival and many international guests usually join.
We visited Coburg a little before so we missed the festival but got to meet some of the organizers who told us about how Coburg has become the location of the largest samba festival outside of Brazil over the past 30 years.
When you walk around the cozy city with its cobblestone streets and beautiful houses, it feels like it's far from being a samba metropolis. But samba clubs from all over Europe come here every year and the city really comes alive.
Ehrenburg Castle in Coburg
There is a very beautiful castle in Coburg, just a short distance from the town's main square. It was built in the 1540s and the name translates to the castle of glory, this because it was built without forced labor, which was common at the time.
The castle was renovated in the neo-Gothic style in the early 19th century but is also inspired by the French Empire style with very detailed ornaments. The interior is truly impressive and you can spend several hours just walking around and looking at everything.
In some castles you can find certain details or occasional ornaments but here it is in rich abundance. Previously, the rulers of Coburg lived in Veste Coburg but after Ehrenburg was built, power was concentrated closer to the city. Near the castle there is also a pedestrian crossing where the green old man walks with a sausage in his hand, a fun detail during a visit to Coburg.
Some places to visit in Coburg
You can have a snack and drink coffee at Wilhelm Feyler Hoflieferant Bayer, it feels like an old-fashioned café and of course traditional pastries are served.
Fresh home-brewed beer is served at Brauhaus Zu Coburg and restaurant Lisa-Marie offers finer cuisine at affordable prices.
Coburg's town hall is beautifully decorated with various faces and animals, all in vibrant colors in everything from Renaissance style to inspiration from other eras.
The city hall is one of the nicer ones I saw during the trip and I would have probably spent more time in the city if I had known it was so nice. You also have to eat the local sausage which is grilled over wood and measures 31 cm, you know Germans and their rules, there are rules for everything.
There is also a good wine shop with local wines in the town as well as some shops and restaurants. Something to look out for is also the little cake Coburger Schmätzchen which is a typical cake for Coburg. There is also a Swedish connection to the city in that the Swedish royal couple have relatives in Coburg and have visited the city on a few occasions.
Star chef Daniel Klein and Hohenstein Castle
The young star chef is a well-known figure in German gastronomy and is involved in creating the menu at the small but cozy Hohenstein Castle, which is also both a hotel and a restaurant. Daniel has run his own restaurants and two of them received a Michelin star under his management. He has traveled around and worked at a number of famous restaurants but is now head chef at Hohenstein.
The wine list at Hohenstein is excellent and of high quality, just like the food, there are many German wines to choose from as well as international wines in most price ranges. They are also preparing land for their own vineyard, but that is a project that will be completed in a few years.
If you want to experience luxury and romance, a weekend at Hohenstein Castle is an excellent choice. The hotel only has 15 rooms but they are all cozy and nicely decorated and many come to the castle for weddings and cozy weekends. A double room costs a little over 2000 kronor per night but for the historical feel and style it is a really good price.
The castle was first mentioned in the 14th century and has been involved in several battles and reconstructions over the years. The Swedish soldiers who fought in Germany during the Thirty Years' War were also at Hohenstein, but not to live there, but to plunder the castle in 1648, right at the end of the war.
Compared to the other castles along Burgenstrasse, it almost feels like a mini-castle. But very nice and it is softly nestled in the forest and nature so the feeling becomes a little magical when you arrive after driving on small forest roads after a full day in Coburg. The castle is also surrounded by a large historic park and it feels a little cozy romantic.
You can enter Ringhotel Schloss Hohenstein and you will find it easily. There is another castle also called Hohenstein which is two hours away, so do not confuse them. The castle is now owned by the Oskar-Hacker Foundation which aims to preserve the history and style of the castle. Castles are cheap to buy but expensive to maintain so there is a lot of economics behind running a business in listed buildings.
If you want to experience castles and German culture and stay in an urban environment, Nuremberg is perfect, but if you want peace and time for contemplation, a few days in Coburg are an excellent choice. The visit to Hohenstein Castle was one of those things where you think that if you ever get married, Hohenstein is a perfect place to bring your partner. We visited it before Daniel Klein took office and the food was good even then, so that's another reason to visit the castle.
More reports on Burgenstrasse
- Burgenstrasse Part 1: Rothenburg
- Burgenstrasse Part 2: Burg Guttenberg and Burg Hornberg
- Burgenstrasse Part 3: Nuremberg
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