🇩🇪 Germany
Castles near Cologne
63 castles, fortresses, palaces and ruins within 100 km of the city centre — every one on the interactive map, with photos, distances and directions.
The closest is Schloss Bensberg, 15 km east of the city centre; the most famous is Eltz Castle — #59 of 3,708 worldwide — 86 km south. The oldest dated site in the circle is Schloss Broich, founded 884.
The 100 km circle reaches into 3 countries — Germany (46), Netherlands (12), Belgium (5).
Within 25 km of Cologne
- Schloss Bensberg
15 km east · Palace & château
Bensberg Castle is a former royal hunting lodge in Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Day trips: 25–60 km
- Schloss Drachenburg
35 km south-east · Palace & château
Schloss Drachenburg or Drachenburg Castle is a private villa styled as a palace and constructed in the late 19th century.
- Palais Schaumburg
27 km south-east · Palace & château
Palais Schaumburg is a neoclassical-style building in Bonn, Germany, which served as the primary official seat of the German Federal Chancellery and…
- Burg Castle
26 km north-east · Castle
Burg Castle, located in Burg an der Wupper, is the largest reconstructed castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and a popular tourist attraction.
- Benrath Palace
25 km north · Palace & château
Schloss Benrath is a Baroque-style maison de plaisance in Benrath, which is now a borough of Düsseldorf.
- Electoral Palace
25 km south-east · Palace & château
The Electoral Palace in Bonn is the former residential palace of the Prince-Electors of Cologne.
- Schloss Rheydt
43 km north-west · Palace & château
Schloss Rheydt is a Renaissance palace in Rheydt, Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- Godesburg
32 km south-east · Ruin
The Godesburg is a castle in Bad Godesberg, a formerly independent part of Bonn, Germany.
- Schloss Jägerhof
34 km north · Palace & château
The Schloss Jägerhof, formerly also called die Vénerie, is located at Jacobistraße 2 in Düsseldorf-Pempelfort, near the city centre.
- Düsseldorfer Schloss
34 km north · Castle
The Düsseldorf castle at or in the Düsseldorfer Altstadt existed from 1260 to 1872 or 1896.
- Schloss Borbeck
59 km north · Castle
Borbeck Castle is a Baroque moated castle in the Essen district of Borbeck. From the 14th century onward it served as the preferred residence of the…
- Burg Nideggen
44 km south-west · Ruin
The ruins of Nideggen Castle are a symbol of the town of Nideggen in Germany and are owned by the county of Düren.
+ 3 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.
Farther afield: 60–100 km
- Eltz Castle
86 km south · Castle · #59 worldwide
Eltz Castle is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier, Germany.
- Fort Eben-Emael
91 km west · Fortress · #265 worldwide
Fort Eben-Emael is an inactive Belgian fortress located between Liège and Maastricht, on the Belgian-Dutch border, near the Albert Canal, outside the…
- Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
79 km south-east · Fortress · #382 worldwide
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, a fortress in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, stands on the east bank of the Rhine opposite the mouth of the…
- Palace of Aachen
64 km west · Palace & château · #383 worldwide
The Palace of Aachen was a group of buildings with residential, political, and religious purposes chosen by Charlemagne to be the center of power of…
- Marksburg
89 km south-east · Castle
The Marksburg is a castle above the town of Braubach in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
- Bürresheim Castle
67 km south · Castle
Bürresheim Castle is a medieval castle northwest of Mayen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. It is built on rock in the Eifel mountains above the Nette.
- Stolzenfels Castle
84 km south-east · Castle
Stolzenfels Castle is a former medieval fortress castle turned into a palace, near Koblenz on the left bank of the Rhine, in the state of…
- Nassau Castle
92 km south-east · Castle
Nassau Castle, located in Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany and named after it, was a castle and the ancestrial seat of the House of Nassau and…
- Schloss Nordkirchen
97 km north-east · Palace & château
Schloss Nordkirchen is a palace situated in the town of Nordkirchen in the Coesfeld administrative district in the state of North Rhine Westphalia,…
- Schaumburg Castle
98 km south-east · Castle
Schaumburg Castle is a schloss in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, south of Balduinstein near Limburg an der Lahn.
- Vischering Castle
99 km north · Castle
Vischering Castle in Lüdinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia is the most typical moated castle in the Münster of Germany.
- Lissingen Castle
84 km south · Castle
Lissingen Castle is a well-preserved former moated castle dating to the 13th century.
+ 35 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.
Distances are straight-line from the city centre. City coordinates and population: Wikidata Q365.
Frequently asked questions
How many castles are near Cologne?
The Castlemap atlas maps 63 landmarks (32 castles · 8 fortresses · 11 palaces & châteaux · 12 ruins) within 100 km of the centre of Cologne, measured straight-line — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks, not a count of every fortification ever built.
What is the closest castle to Cologne?
Schloss Bensberg, a palace 15 km east of the city centre.
What is the most famous castle near Cologne?
Eltz Castle, ranked #59 of 3,708 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking — 86 km south from Cologne.
What is the oldest castle near Cologne?
The oldest dated landmark in the circle is Schloss Broich, founded 884 — 54 km north. Earlier structures may have existed; this is the oldest with a documented founding year.
Nearby city guides: Düsseldorf (34 km) · Duisburg (56 km) · Essen (57 km) · Aachen (64 km). See also medieval castles · all rankings · castles by country.