RHEINECK CASTLE
The relics of the Three Kings, which are now kept in the Golden Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral, were kept at Rheineck Castle for a while.
Rheineck Castle was built in the 11th century. After the castle was destroyed in 1151 by Count Palatine Conrad, a half-brother of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Reinhard von Dassel, the Archbishop of Cologne, whom the Emperor had appointed Chancellor of the Empire, saw Rheineck as an important pillar for securing the Cologne possessions of Andernach and Rhense.
From Milan, he ordered the rapid occupation of the mountain and the immediate reconstruction of the castle in order to pre-empt Count Palatine Conrad's claims to power.
Reinhard von Dassel was also the one who received the relics of the Three Wise Men as a gift from Emperor Barbarossa for his services.
He brought the bones to Cologne and thus established Cologne's importance as a place of pilgrimage. The remains, which are now kept in the Golden Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral, were kept at Rheineck Castle for a time.
After several destructions, the castle was rebuilt around 1830 using old building materials. The massive keep and parts of the curtain walls date back to the Middle Ages.