憑吊神佑萊茵古堡

萊茵河上的古城堡就像是AB型人一樣，表面不動聲色，但它們的經歷卻與平淡無緣，說不定馬克斯堡的主人也是AB型?

Formed by melting snowfields high in the Swiss Alps， the 1)mighty Rhine carves an 800-mile channel through the heart of Europe. In the 50-mile stretch between Mainz and Koblenz， Germany， some 30 castles and ruins tower above the rivers edge， every bend and coil in the snaking waterway seems to reveal another."Rhine travellers not only get a journey through Europe’s heart but backwards through time itself. These spectacular 2)vistas have survived virtually unchanged since the 3)Middle Ages.

A few miles downriver， on the east bank of the Rhine， a high cone-shaped hill rises above the quiet 4)hamlet of Braubach. This is the Marksburg.

For stability， the Marksburg’s walls are5)triangular and built so close to the hills edge that in places it’s hard to see where the rocks end and the walls begin. Old foundations reveal that the 6)citadel began as a fortified tower， probably built by the 10th century Franks. The Roman-styled central tower was built about 200 years later， subsequent owners of the Marksburg erected an additional defensive wall. Unlike other castles， the Marksburg has survived into the 20th century as more than a ruin or a romantic restoration. Despite additions in the 17th and 18th centuries， its medieval character has been magnificently preserved.

7)Adjoining the knights’ hall inside the second tower is a striking 8)polygonal 9)chapel spanned by 10)groined 11)vaulting in 10 sections. Colourful biblical scenes compete overhead with 12)flattering portraits of knights.

This portrait 13)depicts Saint Mark， he played a vital role in the legend that gave the fortress its name.

Long ago， Elizabeth， a 14)maiden of the castle， became secretly engaged to a knight called Siegbert. When Siegbert went to war on behalf of his king， Elizabeth waited for him， but in vain. Word came that in a 15)gruesome battle her beloved had been killed. In her grief， Elizabeth was comforted by a 16)stalwart monk called Markus. Soon， a mysterious knight named Rochus appeared asking for Elizabeth’s hand. Reluctantly， she agreed to be wed and the kingdom celebrated the 17)nuptials， all except for the monk， Markus. He was suspicious of the mysterious Rochus and prayed for guidance.

On the night before the wedding， Markus had a strange and disturbing vision. In a flash of blinding light， Saint Mark the Apostle appeared. Giving Markus a cross， he told the loyal monk that Rokus was the devil himself. He must be 18)banished from the castle.

In the morning， Rokus and Elizabeth were to come to the chapel. Markus waited for just the right moment. The demon screamed， beneath him the earth opened wide. The Apostle Mark appeared once again to protect the 19)mortals with a holy sword. Since that day， 20)Schloss Braubach has worn the name of the Saint， Marksburg.

Chief of the 21)von Katzenelnbogen clan was Philip the Elderly， an adventurous if aged22)bon vivant. Even in his 23)twilight years he24)craved parties， the hunt and adventure. And when he died in 1479， there was no male von Katzenelnbogen to carry on the family name. His beloved castle Marksburg fell into the hands of his son-in-law， Heinrich von Hessen. But with their own castle far away， the von Hessens had only a 25)fleeting interest in the Marksburg. They visited long enough to pay their respects to the former lord then stripped the castle of its valuables， including Philip’s extensive library and treasures of silver and gold. No noble man would ever live here again. Marksburg’s years as a 26)regal showplace had ended. An era had come to a close.

Only recently， after more than 1，000 years 27)unscathed did the great castle endure its darkest moments. In 1945， while occupied by retreating German troops， it came under American 28)grenade fire. Its wounds， however， were minor. Perhaps， once more Saint Mark lent a hand in protecting the stronghold， leaving the greatest treasure of the Rhine intact to this day.

浩蕩的萊茵河由瑞士阿爾卑斯山雪原上的融雪匯聚而成，在歐洲內陸開鑿出一條八百英里的水道。在德國境內從美因茲到科倫布茲的五十英里河岸上，約有三十座古堡聳立其間，蜿蜒水道的每一個拐彎處似乎都能讓人看到又一座古堡。旅行者沿著萊茵河航行，不僅可以游遍歐洲內陸，還可以重溫昔日時光，因為這里亮麗的景色從中世紀以來幾乎沒有變過。

順流而下幾里，在萊茵河的東岸，在平靜的小村莊巴爾巴赫之上，有一座圓錐形的小山丘。這就是馬克斯堡。

為了加強穩定性，馬克斯堡的墻緊靠著山腰建成三角形，有的地方看不清是巖塊還是城墻。舊的基石顯示這座護城碉堡原本是城塔，可能是在十世紀由法蘭克人建造。古羅馬式的中塔則是兩百年后蓋的。馬克斯堡日后的主人加建了防御墻。與其他城堡不同的是，二十世紀的馬克斯堡仍十分完整，并未被后人破壞或進行夸張的修整，雖然十七、十八世紀曾經加建，但城堡原有的中世紀面貌幾乎沒變。

第二座塔里面的騎士廳旁邊是一個漂亮的多角形禮拜堂，由十片穹棱的拱形圓頂組成。上面色彩鮮明的圣經場景畫與俊美的騎士畫像相互比美。

這是使徒圣馬克的畫像。關于古堡名字的來源有一個傳說，他正是這個傳說中的關鍵人物。

很久以前，城堡里的年輕姑娘伊麗莎白與騎士席博私訂終身。……