People have attacked, taken over, and remade the castle many times in the past. The Celts and then the Romans lived in Cochem before it was founded in the early 1000s. By 1332, Cochem had been given town rights. It made money by charging ships tolls and building defenses around the town that are still there today. After 1151, it was officially named Reichsburg, which means it was under the control of the empire.

During the Nine Years’ War (1688–1699), troops led by French King Louis XIV destroyed it completely. Louis Fréderic Jacques Ravené, a wealthy Berliner, bought the broken-down house for a pitiful 300 Goldmark and put it back together after almost 200 years. He did not try to recreate its neo-Gothic look. Instead, he built his family a luxurious summer home straight out of a fairy story in the same year that Bavarian King Ludwig II started building Neuschwanstein Castle. 

Since then, the land has changed hands several times, including to someone who claimed it. This area, which includes Cochem, was fought over by France and Prussia until 1815, when it became a fixed part of Prussia. In 1946, Cochem was a part of Rhineland-Palatinate, which was a new state. As of 1978, the castle was owned by the town of Cochem instead of a private person.

The style of the castle today comes from the different owners who lived there. Some tour guides say that this makes it seem less like a real German house. Even though it’s not exactly the same as it was when it was first built, the castle has stood the test of time and is still a joy to visit.