Marksburg, the fortress on the Rhine that has never been conquered

The Rhine River is over 800 kilometers long within Germany, and the most scenic part of it is the Middle Rhine Valley - from Mainz to Koblenz. The river winds its way, the water is clear, and on both sides are hillsides covered with green vineyards, with white clouds wandering between the mountains. Atop the ridges on both banks, the most conspicuous are the various medieval castles. Speaking of the nobility in medieval Europe, it was actually quite similar to Chinese villages - a small piece of land often had dozens of counts and marquises, and the area each person governed was about the size of a village. These stone castles along the Rhine were the 'palaces' and offices of these village chiefs... oh no, the noble lords, built on high ground near the river for defense and to conveniently collect tolls from passing boats. Marksburg, with a history of over 700 years, is one of them, towering on the hill of the small town of Braubach on the eastern bank of the Rhine. Over the centuries, this castle has changed hands several times, having been owned by the Lords of Eppstein, the Marquises of Katzenelnbogen, the Counts of Hesse, and the Dukes of Nassau. Later, the German Castle Association purchased it for 1000 marks and turned it into the tourist attraction it is today. To this day, you can still see the family crests of the various owners of Marksburg on the walls of the castle gatehouse. Although Marksburg is not large, it is a representative castle that fully possesses the characteristics of a medieval fortress stronghold, with the main tower, turret, residential tower, gate, and the corridors between the inner and outer walls all well-preserved. Now, it can be said to be a small museum witnessing the history of the castles along the Rhine, where you can see the armor of German knights through the ages, as well as the ancient cannons that once menacingly targeted the Rhine. As a military stronghold, this type of stone fortress was passable, but the lighting and living environment were not very good, suggesting that the lives of medieval European nobility were not too comfortable... By the way, this castle is also one of the few fortresses on the Rhine that has never been conquered. The castle's toilets were suspended outside, and using them was akin to 'bombing'... No wonder the castle walls are full of unidentifiable marks...