12 H&H Series, Thursday March 22, 2012 Travel Jenny Woolf I’ve always had a soft spot for Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort. He was dutiful» and prim (compared Plenty of weird and wonderful sights with his rakish older brother Ernst and his son, Edward VII) but also smart, vision- ary and enterprising. He worked hard to promote and improve Britain, so it seems in home town of Victoria’s consort a bit shabby that, last Decem- ber, the 150th anniversary of his death was almost ignored Among its castles, fortresses, palaces and noble residences, Coburg in southern Germany holds many reminders of in this country. Not so in Coburg. This Ba- Prince Albert. And if you find yourself tiring of such sober delights, there’s always the beer halls of nearby Munich varian city is Albert’s home town, and it is very proud of him. On the train from Mu- nich, I read in my guide book that Coburg has more than 40 castles, fortresses, palac- es and noble residences, and, as we drew into the station, sunshine broke through the clouds and boldly illuminat- ed one of them – the fortress, Veste Coburg, high on a hill. A fine moment for an Al- bert fan like me. Albert knew this old fortress well. Just one of several imposing castles owned by his family of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, it looms over the city, with towering stone walls, terri- fying portcullis and small windows. It seems like everything a German castle should be, yet appearances can be decep- tive. After trekking through the park and climbing innu- merable steps to its fearsome gate, I realised that it was not quite what it seemed. Theatrical Certainly, it’s old (and stands on the site of an even older fortress), but it was also expensively refashioned about a century ago, and art- fully arranged stags’ heads, carved wooden doors and other stagey touches have softened the rough working fortress into more of a ro- mantic mansion. To add to the theatrical effect, the din- ing room contains an uncan- ny wax bust of Albert’s an- cestor Prinz Friedrich Josias, looking tortured, and a ghostly half-figure in white marble lurks in a shadowy N The quaint houses and shops of Coburg (left), a giant picture gallery wonderfully stuffed toy chess set (top) at the Doll Museum and a reminiscent of Gilbert and historic harness at Veste Coburg (above) Sullivan’s Ruddigore. Pictures: Jenny Woolf Albert’s family were great collectors, and the fortress is home to fine assemblies of armour, militaria and har- nesses. It has several mod- ern galleries of Old Masters and magnificent glass, a huge group of decorated sleighs and carriages, and ing in the valley as we de- their New Year’s Eve dinner its high rooms a jewel-like we spent more than an hour and everyone got drunk. even some relics of Martin scended the wooded hill- in 1853. Albert was keenly set of large illustrations examining the famous old It was touristy, vulgar, Luther, who stayed in the side. Halfway down, the interested in evolution. He commissioned by Albert’s alabaster altar, which but fun. And would Albert fortress for a while. natural history museum visited Hawkins’ workshops sister-in-law, Alexandrine, stands 10 metres high and have approved? Well, per- It also contains one of the created a welcoming and en- while Hawkins was build- to record events in her life. covered in mysterious crea- haps it’s just as well that he most fascinating and unusu- ticing splash of light in the ing his monsters for the Albert has bit parts in many tures and sculptures. wasn’t there to be asked. al rooms in Germany, the gathering darkness. Crystal Palace, and, as the of these detailed visual We would certainly have 17th-century Jagdzimmer or This well-modernized museum’s exhibition journals, and it seemed par- visited more Coburg attrac- Hunting Room. If I lived in small museum is home to showed, he also had many ticularly sad to reach 1861 tions, in particular Schloss FACTFILE Coburg, I decided, I would weird giant model insects, a natural history books and and find him as the main Rosenau, where Albert visit this room often to ex- creepy ethnography collec- specimens of his own. image for the year, support- spent his happy childhood – N Jenny Woolf stayed at Hotel plore the endless intricate tion and several brilliant ed by sorrowing angels, at but now it was time to go. Torbrau, Munich (www.torbraeu. detail of its many marquetry life-sized dioramas of dif- Visual the age of just 42. We were expected in a hotel de) and the Goldener Anker, panels. They really show ferent habitats. There was, After he died, Victoria But of course, Coburg in Munich, and I have to say Coburg (goldener-anker.de). every detail of the ducal of course, an Albert anni- gave Coburg a big statue of isn’t just about Albert and it turned out to be a delight- hunt, from readying the versary exhibition, which him, which now stands in the family. We also toured ful and very central one. NRail Europe’s return fares from hounds to the boozy end-of- centred on an alert-looking the town square. I quietly the excellent doll museum, Next day found us abandon- London to Munich start from £159 hunt festivities. replica of Benjamin greeted the statue next day whose curiosities include ing culture in favour of the and from Munich to Coburg from We stayed so long in the Hawkins’ giant iguanodon, en route to Schloss Ehren- all kinds of 1930s china dolls famous Hofbrauhaus beer- £134, subject to availability. fortress that it was twilight a hollow construction in burg, another Saxe-Coburg- and a bizarre giant chess hall, eating sausages and Contact www.raileurope.co.uk, when we left and Coburg’s which Hawkins and various Gotha palace. Now a state set made with stuffed toys. drinking beer while musi- 0844 848 4070. lights were already glitter- celebrated naturalists ate archive, we discovered in And in St Moritz Church, cians played oompah music