Kirkel is a municipality in the Saarpfalz district in

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It is situated approximatively 8 km southeast of Neunkirchen, and 20 km east/northeast of

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...

Overview

A rather well-preserved

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

is located a few hundred metres from the town centre. The small Kirkel castle was built in 1075 and is the town's landmark. Located on top of a small castle hill, and due to its large tower with 169 steps to the top, it can be seen from a great distance. Kirkel has the densest forest range in whole Saarland region. It attracts many visitors due to its nice picturesque valleys and greenery over the hills. Kirkel celebrates festivals more than any other place in the area. The most famous sight was the "Wurstmarkt" around August, which lasted for five days with a proper beer festival. As of 2014, no more Wurstmarkts are being held in Kirkel.

Attractions

* Philippi Collection

References

External links

Burgsommer auf Burg Kirkel

Castle Kirkel
Castles in Saarland Saarpfalz-Kreis Palatinate (region) {{Saarland-geo-stub